Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
What does Imam Abū Ḥātim’s statement mean:
“يكتب حديثهم ولا يحتج بحديثهم”
(“Their hadith will be written, but not used as proof”)?
(الجرح والتعديل لابن أبي حاتم: 2/133)
This phrase was used by Imam Abū Ḥātim رحمه الله regarding narrators whose narrations contain iḍṭirāb (inconsistencies and contradictions). It is a statement of jarḥ (criticism).
✔ Imam ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim رحمه الله explained:
“I asked my father: What is the meaning of ‘their hadith will not be used as proof’? He replied: These were people who did not preserve hadith properly. They would narrate what they had not memorized correctly, so they made mistakes. You will see in their narrations as much inconsistency as you like.”
(الجرح والتعديل: 2/133)
Conclusion:
The statement “their hadith will be written but not used as proof” refers to narrators whose narrations suffer from inconsistencies due to weak memorization. Their hadith may be recorded for reference or comparison, but they are not relied upon as authoritative evidence in deriving rulings.
◈ Question:
What does Imam Abū Ḥātim’s statement mean:
“يكتب حديثهم ولا يحتج بحديثهم”
(“Their hadith will be written, but not used as proof”)?
(الجرح والتعديل لابن أبي حاتم: 2/133)
◈ Answer:
This phrase was used by Imam Abū Ḥātim رحمه الله regarding narrators whose narrations contain iḍṭirāb (inconsistencies and contradictions). It is a statement of jarḥ (criticism).
❀ Explanation by the Scholars
✔ Imam ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim رحمه الله explained:
“I asked my father: What is the meaning of ‘their hadith will not be used as proof’? He replied: These were people who did not preserve hadith properly. They would narrate what they had not memorized correctly, so they made mistakes. You will see in their narrations as much inconsistency as you like.”
(الجرح والتعديل: 2/133)
Conclusion:The statement “their hadith will be written but not used as proof” refers to narrators whose narrations suffer from inconsistencies due to weak memorization. Their hadith may be recorded for reference or comparison, but they are not relied upon as authoritative evidence in deriving rulings.
