Why Bukhari and Muslim Accept ʿAnʿanah from Mudallis Narrators

Why Are 'ʿAnʿanah' Narrations of Mudallis Narrators Accepted in Bukhari & Muslim?
✍ Compiled by: Tauheed.com

❖ Introduction: The Case of Imam Sufyan al-Thawri and Tadlīs​

Tadlīs is a form of narrating a Hadith where a narrator conceals the identity or reliability of the person he heard it from. Imam Sufyan al-Thawri (رحمه الله) is frequently mentioned in this discussion.

❖ Imam Sufyan al-Thawri and His Classification as a Mudallis​

✔ Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani categorized Imam Sufyan al-Thawri among the second category of Mudallisin.


Ṭabaqāt al-Mudallisin: 2/51, al-Fatḥ al-Mubīn: p. 39


However, some scholars argue that he should be placed in the third category, since he at times performed tadlīs from weak narrators, making his ʿanʿanah unacceptable unless there's explicit evidence of hearing (سماع).

❖ Principles Regarding Mudallis Narrators​

According to the principles of Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīth:


① If a reliable narrator performs tadlīs only from trustworthy narrators, then his ʿanʿanah can be accepted.


② If he performs tadlīs from weak narrators, then his ʿanʿanah is rejected unless there is explicit mention of سماع (hearing).


Al-Mawqiẓah by al-Dhahabi, p. 45
With commentary Kifāyat al-Ḥuffāẓ: p. 199

❖ Evidence of Imam Sufyan al-Thawri's Tadlīs from Weak Narrators​

Several scholars have testified that Sufyan al-Thawri practiced tadlīs from weak or unknown narrators:


✔ Imam Yahya ibn Maʿīn (رحمه الله):
Sufyan al-Thawri performed tadlīs from some non-thiqah narrators.
Al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl: 4/225


✔ Imam ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdi (رحمه الله):
He asked about a narration and Thawri said: “He is not thiqah.”
Al-Intiqāʾ by Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr: p. 148


✔ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (رحمه الله):
Affirmed Thawri’s tadlīs from weak narrators.
Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl: 2/169, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ: 7/242, 274


✔ Hafiz Ibn Ḥibbān (رحمه الله):


“A trustworthy mudallis’s narration is only accepted when سماع is confirmed. Sufyan al-Thawri is among them.”
Al-Iḥsān: 1/90, Maqālāt ʿIlmiyyah: 1/266


He adds further:


“He sometimes narrated through tadlīs even from non-reliable narrators. So unless سماع is explicitly mentioned, his narration is not ḥujjah.”
Al-Majrūḥīn: 1/92


✔ Imam al-Ḥākim al-Naysābūrī (رحمه الله):


Thawri is among third category mudallisin who narrate from majhūl (unknown) narrators.
Maʿrifah ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth: p. 106


✔ Imam Yahya ibn Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān (رحمه الله):


“I only wrote ḥadīths from Sufyan where he used the words ḥaddathanā or samiʿt, except for two ḥadīths.”
al-ʿIlal by Imam Aḥmad: 1/207

❖ Why Are Such Narrations Accepted in Sahih Bukhari & Muslim?​

✔ Fundamental Rule:
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim have received talaqqī bil-qubūl — universal acceptance by the Ummah and its scholars.


✔ ʿAnʿanah of Mudallis Narrators in Ṣaḥīḥayn is accepted because of the following reasons:


① It is either supported by explicit سماع in other chains,
② Or backed by strong corroborations (mutābiʿāt, shawāhid),
③ Or their context confirms actual hearing.

❖ Statements from Major Scholars​

✔ Imam al-Nawawī (رحمه الله):


"ʿAnʿanah of a mudallis in Ṣaḥīḥayn is accepted by consensus due to supporting evidence."
Sharḥ Muslim: 1/136; another edition: 3/178


✔ Hafiz Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):


"ʿAnʿanah of mudallisin in Ṣaḥīḥayn is either supported by explicit سماع or reliable corroboration."
Rawāyāt al-Mudallisin fī Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī & Muslim, Dār al-Bashā’ir


✔ Other endorsing scholars:

• Imam Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ
• Hafiz al-Dhahabī
• Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Muʿallimī al-Yamānī
• Al-Kawtharī (discussed cases from a Hanafi perspective)

❖ Key Summary and Practical Takeaways​

① Imam Sufyan al-Thawri was a third-category mudallis, and performed tadlīs from weak narrators.
② His ʿanʿanah is not accepted in non-Ṣaḥīḥayn unless:

• He explicitly states سماع (e.g. “ḥaddathanā”, “samiʿt”), or
• There exists a strong mutābiʿ or shawāhid.
  ③ In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, his narrations are valid because they:
• Are based on سماع, or
• Are supported by authentic corroborative evidence.

❖ Advice for Believers​

✔ Avoid blind imitation.
✔ Understand and follow sound principles of Ḥadīth science.
✔ Trust the integrity of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim.
✔ Be cautious with weak and unauthenticated narrations.


اللهم أرنا الحق حقا وارزقنا اتباعه، وأرنا الباطل باطلا وارزقنا اجتنابه
O Allah! Show us the truth as truth and bless us to follow it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and help us avoid it.