. J "" (cont.)

F1 B) 0i: 11J Љ1 ?1 ঍ A)j\ 2) "Allah has removed for my Nation [what is done] by mistake, out of forgetfulness and under coercion." This is the wording of the hadith that is most often found in the books on Islamic legal theory. With this wording, this hadith is recorded by ibn Maajah3, Abu Nuaim in Hilyat and al-Baihaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra.4 This wording has what looks like three different chains but, in reality, that may not be the case. Figure 39. 1 gives the details of these chains. These chains all revolve around both al-Waleed ibn Muslim and Muhammad ibn Musaffa. (They are highlighted in the figure.) This means that these two or one of them related this same hadith in three different ways. There are some scholars of hadith, like al-Zuhri, who were well-known for collecting many different chains for the same hadith. It would not be strange for al-Zuhri to narrate the same hadith in many different ways or with many different chains. However, if a narrator is not of that caliber, when he narrates the same 1 For more about Jafar ibn Jasr, see ibn Adi, vol. 2, p. 573; al-Dhahabi, Meezaan, vol. I pp. 4034; al-Dhahabi, Al-Mughnifi al-Dhuafaa, vol. 1 , p. 1 32; ibn Hajr, Lisaan al-Meezaan, vol. 2, pp. 140-141. 2 For more about Jasr, see Muhammad ibn Hibbaan, Kitaab al-Majrooheen, pp. 2 1 7-2 1 8; al­ Dhahabi, Meezan, vol. 1, pp. 398-399; ibn Hajr, Lisaan, vol. 2, pp. 1 32-1 33; Abdul Azeez al­ Seerwaan, Al-Majmoo fl al-Dhuafaa wa al-Matrukeen (Beirut: Daar al-Qalam, 1985), p. 75, 295 and 4 1 8. 3 Al-Nawawi was not being very precise when he stated, after recording the hadith, "Recorded by ibn Maajah, al-Baihaqi and others." Ibn Maajah has recorded this hadith twice. One is through ibn Abbaas and it is not the wording that al-Nawawi presented. The second is the wording that al­ Nawawi recorded but it is not through ibn Abbaas. 4 See, respectively, Muhammad ibn Maajah, Sunan (no publication information given, 1984), vol. I, p. 378; Abu Nuaim al-lsbahaani, Hilyat, vol. 6, p. 352; al-Baihaqi, vol. 7, p. 357. 1 185 Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi hadith in different manners, it is a sign that he did not record it or memorize it properly. In other words, it is a sign that he is confused concerning the matter. Al-Waleed ibn Muslim is a very famous, trustworthy narrator. He was known for being especially knowledgeable concerning the hadith of al-Auzaai. Ahmad ibn Hanbal did, though, say about him that he made a lot of mistakes. Furthermore, al-Haitham ibn Khaarijah told him that he ruined the hadith of al­ Auzaai. This was because al-Waleed used to perform an act known as tadlees al-taswiyyah. This is where he would drop a weak narrator from further up the chain and replace that weak narrator's name with the term an (a vague term meaning "on the authority of'). When he heard hadith from al-Auzaai on the authority of weak narrators, he would drop the weak narrators name from the chain and that would make the hadith look better. 1 The source of the problem in these narrations is probably Muhammad ibn Musaffa. Ibo Hibbaan wrote about this narrator, He was one of the people with a poor memory, to the point that he would exchange the chains of the hadith and narrate mursal reports completely back to the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is not allowed to use him as evidence when he is solitary in what he reports. When he is in agreement with the trustworthy narrators, he may be used as evidence. When he is not in disagreement with the trustworthy narrators, I see no harm in considering him as possible corroborating evidence.2 From his entry in Tahdheeb al-Kamaal, there seems to be wide agreement that he was a narrator who, although honest, committed a large number of mistakes.3 1 For more about al-Waleed ibn Muslim, see his entry in al-Mizi, vol. 3 1 , pp. 86-99. 2 Ibn Hibbaan, al-Majrooheen, vol. 2, p. 293. 3 See al-Mizi, vol. 26, pp. 465-469. 1 186 Hadith #39: "Allah has pardoned . . . " lbn Majah The Prpohet (peace be upon him) Abu Nuaim al-Baihaqi Figure 39.1 . Chains for the Hadith, "Allah has removed from My Nation . . . " In addition to the confused way that either al-Waleed or ibn Musaffa narrated it, each one of these chains has some other problems. In the first chain, the link is broken between Ataa and ibn Abbaas. The second chain goes through Imam Malik. There seems to be agreement that this is definitely not one of Imam Malik's hadith.1 After recording the hadith, Abu Nuaim wrote, "It is strange as a hadith of Malik. Only ibn al-Musaffa on the authority of al1 See ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 2, p. 363.