Definition of Weak Hadith:
A weak hadith is one in which the conditions of authentic and good hadith are not present, meaning it does not reach the level of proof.
Ruling on Weak Hadith:
The correct and prevailing view is that acting upon a weak narration is not permissible, neither in deeds nor in virtues. This is the religion of Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Yahya ibn Ma’in, Ibn Hazm, and others.
Benefit:
My brothers! A weak narration means that the conditions for the narration to be authentic or good are not present, meaning it is not proven from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. So when a narration is not proven from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, how is it permissible to attribute it to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?
Furthermore, in all the books of Hadith principles, weak narrations are counted among the rejected (those that have been rejected). If something is rejected, how is it permissible to mention it and act upon it?
Look at the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them; they would not narrate a Hadith due to the slightest doubt, so that they would not become the subject of that Hadith:
من كذب على متعمدا فليتبوا مقعده من النار
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “Whoever deliberately lies upon me, let him take his seat in Hell.”
Sayyiduna Zubair, may Allah be pleased with him, was asked why certain people narrate many Hadiths from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, but you do not narrate? Zubair, may Allah be pleased with him, replied: I also lived with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, I was not separated or apart from him, but I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say:
“Whoever deliberately lies upon me, let him take his seat in Hell.”
Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, says: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, prevented me from narrating many Hadiths by saying:
“Whoever deliberately lies upon me, let him take his seat in Hell.”
My brothers! Think and reflect that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, despite hearing Hadiths from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would not narrate them due to the slightest doubt, so that no lie would be attributed to him. So how is it permissible to attribute a narration to him which is not even proven from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?
There are three conditions for acting upon a weak narration
Some scholars impose a few conditions for acting upon a weak narration. Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
ان شروط العمل بالضعيف ثلاثة.
أحدها: أن يكون الضعف غير شديد فيخرج من انفرد من الكذابين والمتهمين بالكذب ومن فحش غلطه، نقل العلائي الاتفاق عليه
الثاني: أن يندرج تحت أصول معمول به وفي جامع الصغير أصل عام.
الثالث: ألا يعتقد عند العمل ثبوته لئلا ينسب الى النبى ﷺ ما لم يقله
➊ The weakness should not be very severe (i.e., it should be slight). By imposing this condition, false narrators, those accused of falsehood, and those with many mistakes are excluded (i.e., their narration will not be accepted). There is consensus on this condition for acting upon a weak narration.
➋ The weak narration should be recorded under a general original source (i.e., the ruling mentioned in the weak narration should generally be stated in some verse of the Quran or in some authentic hadith).
➌ At the time of acting upon it, one should not hold the belief that it is proven (i.e., one should not believe that this matter is established from the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him), so that something is not attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, which he did not say.
Summary
From these three conditions, it is understood that acting upon a weak narration is permissible only when the weakness in the narration is minor and the ruling mentioned in the weak narration is generally stated in some verse or some authentic hadith.
From this second condition, it is understood that the action is actually based on the original general source (a Quranic verse or an authentic hadith) and not on any weak narration.
كما قال الألباني: ان العمل فى الحقيقة ليس بالحديث الضعيف وانـمـا بـالأصل العام والعمل به وارد وجد الحديث أو لم يوجد ولا عكس، أعنى العمل بالحديث الضعيف اذا لم يوجد الأصل العام
Allah Nasiruddin Al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him, commenting on this second condition says that the action is actually not based on the weak hadith, but on the original general source, and the original general source will be acted upon, whether there is a weak hadith or not, but not the opposite; that is, if there is no original general source, then the weak hadith will not be acted upon.
Also consider the third condition for acting upon weak hadiths, which is that it should not be believed that this matter is proven from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
فتفكر وتدبر ولا تكن من الغافلين المتعصبين
Investigation of 23 Weak Narrations Related to the Rights of Parents
◈ عن أبى أمامة أن رجلا قال: يا رسول الله ما حق الوالدين على ولدهما؟ قال: هما جنتك ونارك
Abu Umamah رضي الله عنه narrated that a man said: O Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, what right do parents have over their children? He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Those two, the mother and father, are your paradise and your hell.”
Investigation:
This narration is weak. In its chain of transmission, Ali bin Yazid Al-Hashimi Al-Dashti is a weak narrator.
◈ عن ابن عباس قال: قال رسول الله عل: من أصبح مطيعا فى والديه أصبح له بابان مفتوحان من الجنة وإن كان واحدا فواحدا ومن أمسى عاصيا لله فى والديه أصبح له بابان مفتوحان من النار وإن كان واحدا فواحدا قال الرجل: وإن ظلماه؟ قال: وإن ظلماه وإن ظلماه وإن ظلماه
It is narrated from our master Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever begins his morning obeying his parents for the sake of Allah, two gates of Paradise are opened for him. If it is only one (parent), then one gate is opened. And whoever begins his morning disobeying them for the sake of Allah, two gates of Hellfire are opened for him. If it is only one (parent), then one gate is opened.” A man said: What if the parents oppress him? The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: Even if they oppress him, even if they oppress him, even if they oppress him.”
Investigation:
This narration is weak. In its chain of transmission, Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Sarkhasi is a narrator accused of lying. (He is accused of falsehood)
قال ناصر الدين الألباني: ورواه ابن وهب فى الجامع ص 14، وفيه أبان بن أبى عياش وهو ضعيف جدا
◈ عن أنس قال: قال رسول الله م: ان العبد ليموت والداه أو أحدهما وإنه لهما لعاق فلا يزال يدعو لهما ويستغفر لهما حتى يكتبه الله بارا
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “If a person’s parents both or one of them pass away and he is disobedient to them, yet he continues to seek forgiveness and pray for them, then Allah Almighty will record him as a righteous person.”
Investigation:
The chain of this hadith is weak. Yahya bin Uqbah is a narrator in its chain. Ibn Ma’in writes about him: This narrator is a liar (very minor), vile, and an enemy of Allah. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) states: He is a denier of hadith.
Benefit:
This narration has been quoted by Imam Ibn Jawzi in his book on fabricated hadiths and by Ibn Abi Dunya in the Book of Graves. In Ibn Jawzi’s narration, Laheq bin Hussain Radi is a liar.
Ibn Abi Dunya’s narration is weak for two reasons:
① This narration is mursal because Muhammad bin Sirin, a Tabi’i, narrates from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
② In this narration, Khalid bin Khadash is a weak narrator.
◈ عن جابر عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: ثلاث من كن فيه يسر الله كنفه وأدخله جنته: رفق بالضعيف وشفقة على الوالدين واحسان إلى المملوك
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever has three qualities, Allah makes his death easy for him and admits him into Paradise:
① To be gentle with the weak
② To show kindness to parents
③ To do good to one’s slaves.”
Verification:
This narration has two defects.
① It contains Abdullah bin Ibrahim al-Ghifari, who is a rejected narrator and a denier of hadith.
② It contains Ibrahim bin Abi Umar al-Ghifar, whose narration is unknown.
Allama Nasiruddin al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
This narration is fabricated (man-made and self-invented).
◈ عن ابن عباس أن رسول الله ما قال: ما من ولد بار ينظر إلى والديه نظرة رحمة إلا كتب الله بكل نظرة حجة مبرورة. قالوا: وإن نظر كل يوم مائة مرة؟ قال: نعم الله أكبر وأطيب
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “There is no obedient son who looks at his parents with a gaze of mercy except that Allah writes for him the reward of a Hajj Mabroor for every such look.” The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked: Even if he looks a hundred times a day? He (peace be upon him) said: “Yes! Allah is Great and Pure.”
Verification:
This narration is fabricated. Its chain contains Muhammad bin Humayd ar-Razi, who is a weak and lying narrator.
وقال الألباني: وما أراه الا موضوعا
◈ عن ابن عباس أن رسول الله ما قال: ما من ولد بار ينظر إلى والدته نظرة رحمة إلا كان له بكل نظرة حجة مبرورة
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “There is no righteous son who looks at his mother with a gaze of mercy except that for every such look he receives the reward of a Hajj Mabroor.”
Verification:
In the chain of this narration, Nahshal bin Sa’id Radi is a rejected and lying narrator.
◈ عن أبى الطفيل قال: رأيت النبى من يقسم لحما بالجعرانة إذ أقبلت امرأة حتى دنت إلى النبى ما فبسط لها ردانه فجلست عليه فقلت: من هى فقالوا: هذه أمه التى أرضعته
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu al-Kafil (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) distributing meat in a narrow place when suddenly a woman came and approached the Prophet (peace be upon him). So he spread his cloak for her and she sat on it. I asked: Who is this? The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) replied: She is the foster mother of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Verification:
This narration is weak.
Firstly: In its chain, Ja’far bin Yahya bin Yahya bin Thuban is an unknown narrator.
Secondly: In its chain, ‘Amarah bin Thuban is a concealed narrator.
◈ أن عمر بن السائب حدثه أنه بلغه أن رسول الله ما كان جالسا فأقبل أبوه من الرضاعة فوضع له بعض ثوبه فقعد عليه ثم أقبلت أمه من الرضاعة فوضع لها شق ثوبه من جانبه الآخر فجلست عليه ثم أقبل أخوه من الرضاعة فقام له رسول الله ع فأجلسه بين يديه
“Umar bin Sa’ib heard that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sitting when his foster father came, so he spread some cloth for him and he sat on it. Then his foster mother came, so he spread cloth on the other side for her and she sat on it. Then his foster brother came, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) stood up for him and made him sit in front of him.”
Verification:
This narration is weak. The person who transmitted this hadith to Umar bin Sa’ib is unknown. It is possible that he was a Companion and also possible that he was a Tabi’i.
ومع الاحتمال يسقط الاستدلال
It is unlikely that he was a Tabi’i because Ibn Hibban counted Umar bin Sa’ib among the followers of the Tabi’in.
So if the transmitter to Umar bin Sa’ib was a Tabi’i, then the hadith becomes mursal, and mursal is among the weak types.
Imam Mundhiri states:
هذا معضل عمر بن السائب يروى عن التابعين
◈ روي عن عبد الله بن أبى أوفى قال: كنا عند النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فأتاه آت فقال: شاب يجود بنفسه. فقيل له: قل: لا إله إلا الله فلم يستطع فقال:كان يصلى؟ فقال: نعم فنهض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ونهضنا معه فدخل على الشات، فقال له قل: لا إله إلا الله فقال: لا أستطيع، قال: كان يعق والديه فقال النبي: أحية والدته؟ قالوا: نعم قال: ادعرها فدعوها فجاءت فقال: هذا ابنك؟ قالت: نعم. فقال لها أرأيت لو أحجت نار ضحمة، فقيل لك: إن شفعت له خلينا عنه وإلا حرقناه بهذه النار أكنت تشفعين له؟ قالت: يا رسول الله إذا أشفع له. قال: فأشهدى الله وأشهديني قد رضيت عنه قالت: اللهم إني أشهدك وأشهد رسولك أني قد رضيت عن ابني. فقال له رسول الله: يا غلام! قل: لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله فقالها فقال رسول الله مع:الحمد لله الذى أنقذه بي من النار
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin ‘Awni (may Allah be pleased with him) that we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when a man came and said: So-and-so young man is struggling with death. He was told to recite لا اله الا الله, but he did not have the strength to recite it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: Is he a praying person? He said: Yes. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stood up and we also stood up. He came to that young man and said: Recite لا اله الا الله. He said: I do not have the strength to recite it. (The Prophet asked: Why do you not have the strength to recite it?) He replied that he was disobedient to his parents. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: Is his mother alive? People said: Yes. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Call her. So they called her and she came. He asked: Is this your son? She said: Yes. He said to her: If a great fire is kindled and you are told that if you intercede for this son, we will spare him, and if you do not intercede, we will burn him with this fire, will you intercede for him? She said: O Messenger of Allah! At that time I will surely intercede for him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Bear witness to Allah and me that you are pleased with him. She said: O Allah! I bear witness to You and Your Messenger that indeed I am pleased with my son. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to that young man: O boy! Recite لا اله الا الله وحده لاشريك له واشهد ان محمدا عبده ورسوله. So he recited this kalima. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: All praise is due to Allah who saved him from the fire through me.”
Verification:
This narration is weak. In all its chains, Fa’id bin Abdur-Rahman is a weak, rejected, and denier of hadith narrator.
◈ Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! I carried my mother on my shoulders for six miles on a hot, stony ground so hot that if I had put a piece of meat on it, it would have cooked. Have I repaid her kindness? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Perhaps you have repaid the pain of a thorn.
Verification:
This narration is weak.
Firstly: It contains Hasan bin Abi Ja’far, who is a weak narrator.
Secondly: It contains narrator Laith bin Abi Sulaym, who became confused in his later years. It is not known which hadiths are before the confusion and which are after, so his hadiths have been abandoned.
◈ عن بريدة أن رجلا كان فى الطواف حاملا أمه يطوف بها فسأل النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم هل أذيت حقها؟ قال: لا، ولا برفرة واحدة أو كما قال صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man was circumambulating the Ka’bah carrying his mother. He asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): Have I fulfilled my mother’s right? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: You have not even fulfilled one breath of her right.
Verification:
This narration is weak. It contains Hasan bin Abi Ja’far, who is weak.
◈ A Yemeni man carried his mother on his back while circumambulating the Ka’bah. Later, he came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) and asked: Have I fulfilled my mother’s right? Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar replied: You have not fulfilled even one breath of your mother’s right.
Verification:
This narration is weak. Its chain contains Abu Burdah Amr bin Yazid al-Kufi, who is a weak narrator.
◈ Regarding the occasion of revelation of Surah Al-Baqarah, commentators narrate an incident that when Allah commanded Bani Israel to slaughter a cow, the type of cow Allah ordered was found only with a child who was very obedient to his parents. He gave his cow in exchange for gold equal to the cow. This is a lengthy incident narrated.
Verification:
To our knowledge, there is no authentic, connected, and continuous chain for this.
◈ Musa (peace be upon him) asked his Lord: O Allah! Show me my leader and companion in this world who will be with me in Paradise. Allah said: O Musa! I have made so-and-so butcher your companion in Paradise. Eventually, Musa (peace be upon him) went to that butcher’s house to see what he does. Musa (peace be upon him) saw that the butcher was breaking bread into small pieces, wetting them in broth, feeding them to his mother, and then giving her water, etc.
Verification:
This incident is baseless, fabricated (man-made), and no chain has been found for it.
◈ إن الرحمة لا تنزل على قوم فيهم قاطع رحم
“Indeed, mercy does not descend upon a nation in which there is one who severs kinship ties.”
Verification:
Its chain contains Sulayman bin Zaid Abu Adam al-Kufi, who is a weak narrator.
◈ من زار قبر أبويه أو أحدهما فى كل جمعة غفر له وكتب برا
“Whoever visits the grave of his parents or one of them every Friday is forgiven and recorded as righteous with Allah.”
Verification:
This narration is fabricated. Its chain contains three narrators who are unreliable.
① Muhammad bin Nu’man is a rejected and unknown narrator.
② Yahya bin ‘Alaa is a liar narrator and accused of fabricating hadith.
③ Abdul Karim bin Abi al-Makhariq is a weak narrator.
◈ من زار قبر والديه كل جمعة فقرأ عندهما أو عنده يس غفر له بعدد كل آية أو حرف .
“Whoever visits the grave of his parents or one of them every Friday and recites Surah Yasin near their graves, he is forgiven in exchange for the number of verses or letters of the Surah.”
Verification:
This narration is fabricated. Its chain contains Amr bin Ziyad bin Abdul Rahman ath-Thubani Abu al-Hasan, who is a hadith thief and transmitter of false narrations.
◈ It is narrated from Abdul Rahman bin Muzni (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Companions asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the people of Al-A’raf. He said: They are a people who were killed in the way of Allah while disobeying their parents… etc.
Verification:
This narration is weak. Its chain contains Najih bin Abdul Rahman Sindhi Abu Ma’shar, who is a weak narrator.
◈ It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Companions asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the people of Al-A’raf. He said: “They are a people who were killed in the way of Allah while they were disobedient to their parents.”
Verification:
Its chain is also weak. It contains Najih bin Abdul Rahman Sindhi Abu Ma’shar, who is a weak narrator.
◈ A similar narration is also reported from Abu Sa’id (may Allah be pleased with him).
Verification:
This narration is also weak. Its chain contains weak narrators.
① Muhammad bin Mukhlad Abu Aslam is weak.
② Abdul Rahman bin Zaid bin Aslam is weak.
◈ عن ابن عمر أن رسول الله لم قال: ثلاثة قد حرم الله عليهم الجنة مدمن الخمر والعاق والديوت الذى يفر فى أهله الخبث
Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Three types of people Allah has forbidden Paradise for: the one who persists in drinking alcohol, the disobedient to parents, and the cuckold who maintains immorality in his house.”
Verification:
Its chain is weak and contains an unknown narrator.
◈ عن أبى موسى الأشعري أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: ((ثلاثة لا يدخل الجنة مدمن الخمر وقاطع الرحم ومصدق بالسحر
Abu Musa Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Three types of people will not enter Paradise: the one who persists in drinking alcohol, the one who severs kinship ties, and the one who confirms magic.”
Verification:
This narration is weak. Its chain contains Abdullah bin Hussain from the Abu Hurayz family, who is a weak narrator.
◈ عن أبى بكرة عن النبى قال: (كل الذنوب يؤخر الله منها ما شاء الله إلى يوم القيامة إلا عقوق الوالدين فإن الله يعجلة لصاحبه فى الحياة قبل الممات .
Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: “Among all sins, Allah forgives whomever He wills except disobedience to parents. So Allah hastens the punishment of the disobedient to parents in this life before death.”
