Ibn Majah

The Issue of the Prevalent Hasan li-Ghayrihi According to the Muhaddithin and the Combination of Weak Narrations

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

In this article, ten such narrations are presented upon which the senior scholars of hadith have made criticism, which is evidence that they did not consider the prevalent hasan li-ghayrihi, formed by combining weak with weak, to be authoritative:

— Number 5 —

The narration regarding offering only one salam (salutation) in regular prayers is transmitted through several chains, some of which are as follows:

1: From Humayd at-Tawil from Anas bin Malik radi Allahu anhu (al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat of at-Tabarani, referenced in as-Sahihah of al-Albani: 316, and its chain is weak)

2: From Ayyub from Anas radi Allahu anhu (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, referenced in as-Sahihah 1/566, and its chain is weak)

3: From Salamah bin al-Akwa‘ radi Allahu anhu (Ibn Majah: 930, and its chain is weak / Anwar as-Sahifah p. 411)

4: From Aishah radi Allahu anha (Tirmidhi: 296, Ibn Majah: 919, both with weak chains)

5: From Sahl bin Sa‘d as-Sa‘idi radi Allahu anhu (Ibn Majah: 918)

There are other such narrations as well, which, according to the principles of Shaykh al-Albani and others, would become the prevalent hasan li-ghayrihi.

However, Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr said:

From the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the narrations of Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas, Aishah, and Anas (radi Allahu anhum) regarding one salam are transmitted, but these narrations are defective; the scholars of hadith do not consider them authentic.

(al-Istidhkar 1/489, Chapter on Tashahhud in Prayer)

Ibn al-Jawzi said:

“And the answer is that these ahadith are weak.”

(at-Tahqiq with at-Tanqih by Ibn Abd al-Hadi 1/369, under hadith 622)

Nawawi said regarding the hadith of one salam:

“The majority have declared it weak, and the authentication of al-Hakim is not acceptable for it... and there is nothing established regarding sufficing with one salam.”

(Khulāsat al-Ahkām vol. 1, pp. 445, 446, entries 1460, 1463)

Al-‘Uqayli said:

“And nothing is authentic regarding one salam.”

(ad-Du‘afa’ of al-‘Uqayli, Berlin manuscript and the printed edition by the investigator 1/475, biography of Thumamah bin ‘Ubaydah, and Dar al-Sumay‘i edition 1/195)

And he said:

“And the hadith regarding one salam, its chains are weak.”

(ad-Du‘afa’ of al-‘Uqayli, ‘Abd al-Mu‘ti edition 2/58, al-Sumay‘i edition 2/412, Dar Majd al-Salam Egypt edition 2/336)

It is thus established that Ibn Abd al-Barr, Ibn al-Jawzi, Nawawi, and al-‘Uqayli—all four—did not consider combining weak with weak to form hasan li-ghayrihi as authoritative.

Also see al-Muhalla by Ibn Hazm (4/132, issue 457)

Note: In the funeral prayer, offering salam only to the right side is established from hadith. (See my book: Mukhtasar Sahih Salat an-Nabiyy p. 95, new edition 2009)

1:
And upon this is the prevailing practice of the majority of the Ummah.