✦ Position of the Early Scholars and Ibn Hajar on the 'ʿAnʿanah' Narrations of a Mudallis Narrator ✦
By: Qari Usama bin Abdus-Salam (حفظه الله)
Ibn Hajar (رحمه الله), in his renowned work
"تعريف أهل التقديس بمراتب الموصوفين بالتدليس",
divided Mudalliseen (those who practice tadlīs) into five categories.
According to his classification:
✔ The narrations that use "ʿan" from narrators in the first two categories are considered acceptable,
✔ Because these individuals either engage in tadlīs very rarely,
✔ Or they perform tadlīs only from trustworthy (thiqqah) narrators.
The early scholars of Hadith, such as:
◄ Imām al-Bukhārī
◄ Imām Muslim
◄ Imām al-Shāfiʿī
◄ Imām Aḥmad
◄ Imām Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn
held a far stricter standard.
They rejected the "ʿanʿanah" narration of any Mudallis narrator,
unless the narrator explicitly mentioned hearing (سماع), regardless of how frequent or infrequent the tadlīs was.
Imām al-Bukhārī did not accept a Mudallis narrator’s ʿanʿanah narration unless the hearing was clearly stated.
Example:
He rejected the ʿanʿanah narration of Sufyān al-Thawrī,
even though Sufyān is classified by Ibn Hajar in the second tier of Mudalliseen.
Imām Muslim stated:
A narration from a Mudallis narrator is not acceptable unless he explicitly states hearing (سماع).
He excluded ʿanʿanah narrations of famous Mudalliseen from his Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim,
unless the connected chain (ittiṣāl) was firmly established.
Imām al-Shāfiʿī said:
"We do not accept the narration of a Mudallis unless he says: 'ḥaddathanā' or 'samiʿtu'."
This principle differs from Ibn Hajar’s classification,
as Ibn Hajar accepted the ʿanʿanah of the first two categories,
while the early scholars rejected all such narrations without clear hearing.
Known as "Amīr al-Muʾminīn fī al-Ḥadīth", Imām Shuʿbah stated:
"التدليس أخو الكذب"
(Tadlīs is the brother of lying)
Thus, in his view, rejecting the ʿanʿanah narration of a Mudallis is essential.
◈ The early Hadith scholars (Bukhārī, Muslim, Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, Ibn al-Madīnī, Dāraquṭnī, etc.)
did not accept the ʿanʿanah of a Mudallis unless explicit hearing (تصريحِ سماع) was mentioned.
◈ Ibn Hajar, however, categorized Mudalliseen into levels and considered the ʿanʿanah of the first two tiers acceptable — a view contrary to that of the Mutakaddimīn.
◈ The stricter principle of the early scholars is viewed as more reliable,
as it embodies caution and ensures the elimination of any possibility of tadlīs in the chain of narration.
By: Qari Usama bin Abdus-Salam (حفظه الله)
❖ Ibn Hajar's Viewpoint
Ibn Hajar (رحمه الله), in his renowned work
"تعريف أهل التقديس بمراتب الموصوفين بالتدليس",
divided Mudalliseen (those who practice tadlīs) into five categories.
According to his classification:
✔ The narrations that use "ʿan" from narrators in the first two categories are considered acceptable,
✔ Because these individuals either engage in tadlīs very rarely,
✔ Or they perform tadlīs only from trustworthy (thiqqah) narrators.
❖ Viewpoint of the Imams of Hadith and Contrast with Ibn Hajar
Strict Principle of the Early Hadith Scholars (Mutakaddimīn)
The early scholars of Hadith, such as:
◄ Imām al-Bukhārī
◄ Imām Muslim
◄ Imām al-Shāfiʿī
◄ Imām Aḥmad
◄ Imām Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn
held a far stricter standard.
They rejected the "ʿanʿanah" narration of any Mudallis narrator,
unless the narrator explicitly mentioned hearing (سماع), regardless of how frequent or infrequent the tadlīs was.
❖ Rejection by Imām al-Bukhārī (رحمه الله)
Imām al-Bukhārī did not accept a Mudallis narrator’s ʿanʿanah narration unless the hearing was clearly stated.
Example:
He rejected the ʿanʿanah narration of Sufyān al-Thawrī,
even though Sufyān is classified by Ibn Hajar in the second tier of Mudalliseen.
❖ Rejection by Imām Muslim (رحمه الله)
Imām Muslim stated:
A narration from a Mudallis narrator is not acceptable unless he explicitly states hearing (سماع).
He excluded ʿanʿanah narrations of famous Mudalliseen from his Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim,
unless the connected chain (ittiṣāl) was firmly established.
❖ Rigid Position of Imām al-Shāfiʿī (رحمه الله)
Imām al-Shāfiʿī said:
"We do not accept the narration of a Mudallis unless he says: 'ḥaddathanā' or 'samiʿtu'."
This principle differs from Ibn Hajar’s classification,
as Ibn Hajar accepted the ʿanʿanah of the first two categories,
while the early scholars rejected all such narrations without clear hearing.
❖ Firm Rejection by Imām Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn & Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
- Imām Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn:
"The ʿanʿanah narration of a Mudallis is not reliable unless he confirms hearing."
- Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal:
"A Mudallis’s 'ʿan' narration is unacceptable without explicit hearing."
❖ Strongest Rejection by Imām Shuʿbah ibn al-Ḥajjāj (رحمه الله)
Known as "Amīr al-Muʾminīn fī al-Ḥadīth", Imām Shuʿbah stated:
"التدليس أخو الكذب"
(Tadlīs is the brother of lying)
Thus, in his view, rejecting the ʿanʿanah narration of a Mudallis is essential.
❖ Summary: The Divergence Between Early Scholars and Ibn Hajar
◈ The early Hadith scholars (Bukhārī, Muslim, Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, Ibn al-Madīnī, Dāraquṭnī, etc.)
did not accept the ʿanʿanah of a Mudallis unless explicit hearing (تصريحِ سماع) was mentioned.
◈ Ibn Hajar, however, categorized Mudalliseen into levels and considered the ʿanʿanah of the first two tiers acceptable — a view contrary to that of the Mutakaddimīn.
◈ The stricter principle of the early scholars is viewed as more reliable,
as it embodies caution and ensures the elimination of any possibility of tadlīs in the chain of narration.
