2. THE MUSNAD OF IMAM AHMAD
Some students of hadith asked me if anything in Musnad of Imam Ahmad was unauthentic? I replied: ‘Yes.’
Some Hanbalis did not accept my answer, but I ignored them because I assumed they were laymen, until I read a verdict (fatwd) issued by someone from Khurasan, including Abu’l ‘Ala’ Al-HamdhanI responding to this opinion and condemning those who adopt it!
I became surprised, and said to myself, ‘Strange! Have scholars become laypeople? They only heard the hadith but did not investigate its authenticity.’ They assumed that 1 was condemning what was collected by Ahmad, when this was not the case.
Imam Ahmad narrated traditions that were authentic, sound and weak. In fact, he himself rejected some of what he had narrated and did not accept it nor adopt it as part of his Madhhab.
He said about the hadith of making ablution (wudu) with wine: “Unknown.”
Whoever refers to the Book of Abu Bakr Al-Khallal will find many hadith narrated in the Musnad, vet were criticised by Imam Ahmad.
QadI Abu Ya’la al-Farra’ said, ‘Ahmad narrated popular hadith in his Musnad. He did not intend to narrate just authentic hadith or weak ones.’
His son ‘Abdullah asked him, ‘What do you say about such and such hadith?’ He replied, ‘All hadith contradict it.’ So ‘Abdullah replied, ‘You have mentioned it in your Musnad? Ahmad replied, ‘I intended to mention in my Musnad those hadith that were popular (mashur). Had I intended to only mention the authentic {sahib) hadith then I would have only narrated a few hadith. You know my methodology {tariq) dear son; I never go against a weak hadith unless there was another hadith that goes against it.’
I am depressed because scholars have become like laypeople. This is because of their shortcomings in seeking knowledge. If they come across a fabricated (mamdu) hadith, they say, ‘It was narrated!’
Tears must be shed on how weak efforts have become.
There is no power except by Allah, the All High, the All Great.
(Source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
Comments
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.