Ibn Majah

The Issue of the Esteemed Hadith Scholars and the Commonly Accepted Hasan li-Ghayrihi Derived from Weak-upon-Weak Chains

The eminent hadith scholars have declared many such narrations to be weak and unestablished, even though they have numerous chains of transmission, and according to the principle of “weak plus weak,” some scholars consider them to be hasan li-ghayrihi (good due to supporting chains). In fact, among these narrations, there are some which, according to our research, are hasan li-dhatihi (good in themselves).

In this article, ten such narrations are presented upon which the senior hadith scholars have made criticism, which is evidence that they did not consider the commonly accepted hasan li-ghayrihi derived from weak-upon-weak chains to be authoritative:

— Number 7 —

In one narration, it is mentioned that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade putting on shoes while standing, and the following are some of its chains:

1: Azhar bin Marwan al-Basri from al-Harith bin Nubhan from Ma‘mar from ‘Ammar bin Abi ‘Ammar from Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu) (Tirmidhi: 1775)

2: Qatadah from Anas (radi Allahu anhu) (Tirmidhi: 1776)

3: Abu al-Zubayr from Jabir (radi Allahu anhu) (Abu Dawud: 4135)

4: Abu Mu‘awiyah from al-A‘mash from Abu Salih from Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu) (Ibn Majah: 3618)

5: Waki‘ from Sufyan al-Thawri from ‘Abdullah bin Dinar from Ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu) (Ibn Majah: 3619)

Shaykh al-Albani has declared this hadith to be authentic, but Imam al-Bukhari said regarding each narration attributed to Sayyiduna Anas (radi Allahu anhu) and Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu):

“Wa la yasih hadha al-hadith”

And this hadith is not authentic. End quote.

(Sunan Tirmidhi: 1776)

Imam al-Tirmidhi said:

Both of these hadiths are not authentic according to the people of hadith.

(al-Tirmidhi: 1775)

It is thus established that, according to Imam al-Bukhari and Imam al-Tirmidhi, the commonly accepted hasan li-ghayrihi narration derived from weak-upon-weak chains is not authoritative, but rather remains weak.

For further references from Imam al-Tirmidhi, see Sunan Tirmidhi (86) and my article: Ibn Hazm and the Issue of the Commonly Accepted Hasan li-Ghayrihi Derived from Weak-upon-Weak Chains (Section: 5)

Explanation:
1:
There is this difficulty in wearing shoes while standing that the person wearing them may sometimes fall,
whereas there is more ease in wearing them while sitting.
If there is no such difficulty in wearing them while standing, then there is no harm in it.

Note:
(Based on corroborating narrations and supporting evidence, this hadith is authentic;
otherwise, its narrator Harith ibn Nubhan is considered abandoned in hadith transmission.
See:
Silsilah as-Saheehah, no. 719)