Hadith 3461

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ الضَّحَّاكُ بْنُ مَخْلَدٍ ، أَخْبَرَنَا الْأَوْزَاعِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا حَسَّانُ بْنُ عَطِيَّةَ ، عَنْ أَبِي كَبْشَةَ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو ، أَنّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ : " بَلِّغُوا عَنِّي وَلَوْ آيَةً وَحَدِّثُوا عَنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَا حَرَجَ وَمَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَيَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ " .
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr: The Prophet said, "Convey (my teachings) to the people even if it were a single sentence, and tell others the stories of Bani Israel (which have been taught to you), for it is not sinful to do so. And whoever tells a lie on me intentionally, will surely take his place in the (Hell) Fire."
Hadith Reference صحيح البخاري / كتاب أحاديث الأنبياء / 3461
Hadith Grading محدثین: أحاديث صحيح البخاريّ كلّها صحيحة
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
There is no harm in relating the incidents of Bani Isra'il, provided that one neither affirms nor denies them, except for those which are established with an authentic chain of transmission.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 3461
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
At the beginning of Islam, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade the use of Israelite traditions, but when the truth of Islam became firmly established in people's hearts, he permitted, to a limited extent, only the narration of such matters that do not contradict the Qur'an and Hadith.

When narrating the incidents of Bani Israel, neither affirm nor deny them.
However, if the affirmation or denial of any incident is known from the Qur'an or Hadith, then there is no harm in affirming or denying it. But when narrating any incident attributed to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), it is necessary that it be narrated from trustworthy narrators, so that a lie is not attributed to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

The noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) exercised great caution in narrating Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), so that they would not fall under the warning (of punishment) mentioned (for lying upon him).

We too must keep this aspect in view when narrating Hadith.
One should avoid mentioning every kind of material, whether sound or unsound, in one's speeches.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 3461
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation:
1:
From this hadith, it is understood that every person, to the extent of his knowledge, is obligated to convey whatever knowledge of the Qur'an and Hadith he possesses to others.
Even if he is aware of only a single divine command, it is his responsibility to inform others about it as well.
Regarding the Children of Israel (Bani Isra'il), only those matters should be narrated which are authentically established from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) through sound chains of transmission.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 2669
Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai
Fiqh al-Hadith:
➊ This authentic hadith establishes that if a person possesses knowledge of even a single verse of the Noble Qur’an, he should convey it to his other brothers. It is necessary for the preacher to speak with evidence, but it is not required for him to encompass all evidences.
➋ The word “ayah” has four meanings: a verse of the Noble Qur’an, a specific sign distinguishing between two things, something very astonishing, and a great calamity. In the mentioned hadith, the first meaning is intended.
➌ Every person is tasked with conveying the religion according to his ability.
➍ It is permissible to narrate the traditions of Bani Isra’il, provided that these narrations are authentically established with a sound chain up to their narrator and are not contrary to the Shari‘ah of Muhammad «علي صاحبها الصلوة والسلام عدد النجوم فى السماء».
➎ To lie against the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is a major sin; rather, according to some scholars, it is disbelief (kufr).
➏ It is obligatory upon every Muslim to learn the knowledge of religion as needed, which supports the correction of his beliefs (‘aqidah) and actions (‘amal). If he is unable to acquire detailed knowledge, then it is incumbent upon him to refer to the rightly-guided scholars of sound creed and to acquire knowledge of the Book and Sunnah and consensus (ijma‘) (and the reports of the pious predecessors [salaf salihin]) from them.
◄ It should be remembered that a layperson going to the scholars to ask about an issue is not taqlid (blind following); otherwise, in the present era alone, there would be thousands of imams among the Hanafis and those who practice taqlid, whom people follow (!)—and it is evident that no one holds this view.
➐ The hadith is a proof (hujjah).
Source: Adwa al-Masabih fi Tahqiq Mishkat al-Masabih, Page: 198