Question
What is the ruling on the authority of Khabar al-Wāḥid (a solitary report)?
Answer
The issue of the ḥujjiyyah (authority) of Khabar al-Wāḥid has been disputed between Ahl al-Sunnah and the deviant sects.
According to Ahl al-Sunnah, Khabar al-Wāḥid is authoritative (ḥujjah).
Explanation
- Khabar al-Wāḥid is such a reality that, although some deny it verbally, practically they cannot do without it.
- Many who reject Khabar al-Wāḥid have still relied upon it for argumentation and even based their actions and beliefs upon it. Some have even taken weak and fabricated reports as proof.
- Some reject Khabar al-Wāḥid absolutely, while others make distinctions, e.g., they accept it in practical matters but not in creed, or they reject it if it contradicts ijmāʿ, or apply other conditions.
- Ahl al-Sunnah accept Khabar al-Wāḥid unconditionally, provided it is established with an authentic chain.
When a report passes through the scrutiny of ḥadīth criticism and is declared authentic by the scholars of ḥadīth, it cannot contradict sound reason, ijmāʿ, or matters that are qatʿī al-thubūt (definitively established). If one thinks it does, deeper examination will reveal the truth clearly.
Evidence
❀ Sayyidunā ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
إذا سمعتم به بأرض فلا تقدموا عليه، وإذا وقع بأرض وأنتم بها فلا تخرجوا فرارا منه
“If you hear of it (the plague) in a land, do not enter it; and if it occurs in a land while you are in it, do not leave fleeing from it.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5729; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2219)
Scholarly Commentary
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Mulaqqin (رحمه الله, d. 804H) said:
فيه قبول خبر الواحد... وفيه دليل على صحة قول ابن الطيب... أن الصحابة أجمعوا على تقدمة خبر الواحد على قياس الأصول، وفساد قول من قدم قياس الأصول على الخبر؛ لرجوع جميعهم إلى خبر عبد الرحمن
“This ḥadīth proves the acceptance of Khabar al-Wāḥid. It is also evidence for the correctness of the statement of Ibn al-Ṭayyib al-Bāqillānī (رحمه الله, d. 403H): the Companions had ijmāʿ that Khabar al-Wāḥid is given precedence over qiyās (analogy). This refutes those who give qiyās precedence over a report, because all the Companions returned to the report of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (رضي الله عنه).”
(al-Tawḍīḥ 32/91)
Conclusion:According to Ahl al-Sunnah, Khabar al-Wāḥid, if authentic, is authoritative and binding in both rulings and beliefs. The Companions themselves acted upon solitary reports, placing them above qiyās, which establishes its legitimacy in Islam.
