The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “It is enough sin for a person to speak of everything that he hears”. [1]

Abu Hatim (Imam Ibn Hibban) – may Allah have mercy upon him him – said:

This narration contains a rebuke that a person should not speak about everything he hears until he knows whether it is authentic or not, then he speaks about it. He should not speak about that which is not authentic. [2]

The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “I command you fear Allah and to listen to and obey your (leaders) even if a maimed (or disabled) Abyssinian slave is put in charge over you. Whoever lives among you will see a lot of differences, so it is obligated to you to adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Khulafaa- bite onto it with your molar teeth [i.e. adhere firmly to it]. And beware of newly invented matters (in the religion), for every newly invented matter (in the religion) is Bidah innovation and every bidah is misguidance. [3]

Imam Abu Hatim said:

This is a sound evidence that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, commanded his Ummah to (distinguish) the weak narrators from the reliable narrators. This is because it is impossible for a person to adhere to the Sunnah if it is mixed with lies and falsehood, except when one can distinguish the weak narrators from the reliable narrators. [4]

(1) Muqaddimah Saheeh Muslim 1/10; Sharh Muqaddimah Saheeh Muslim’ by Imaam An-Nawawi 1/74.

(2) Muqaddimah Kitaab Al-Majrooheen Minal Muhadditheen’ page 60-64.

(3) Jaami As-Saheeh Al-Musnad Mimmaa Laysah Fee As-Saheehayn’ 5/26-27’ Number 3249.

(4) Muqaddimah Kitaab Al-Majrooheen Minal Mihadditheen page 66