Imām Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj رحمه الله (d. 261 AH) said: “As for what comes from those charged (with lying) by the scholars of Ḥadīth, or many of them, then we will not busy ourselves with collecting their narrations, such as ʿAbdullāh ibn Miswar Abī Jaʾfar al-Madā’inī, ʿAmr ibn Khālid, ʿAbd al-Quddūs ash-Shāmī, Muḥammad ibn Saʾīd al-Maṣlūb, Ghīyāth ibn Ibrāhīm, Sulaymān ibn ʿAmr Abī Dāwūd an-Nakhaʾī, and the likes, who are charged with fabricating Aḥādīth and making up narrations.”1
ash-Shaykh al-Muḥaddith Muḥammad ibn Ādam al-Ethiopī رحمه الله (d. 1442 AH) commentated: “Know that the fabricators (of Ḥadīth), as mentioned by ibn ʿIrāq in the introduction of his book Tanzīh ash-Sharīʾah, are seven types:
- az-Zanādiqah (heretics), who are the foremost in this; it is their disrespect of the religion that inspires them to fabricate Ḥadīth and deceive the Muslims.
- Ahl al-Bidʾah wa al-Ahwā’ (people of innovation and desires); they fabricate Ḥadīth in support of their methodologies or in defamation of those who oppose them. In al-Jarḥ wa at-Taʾdīl, ibn Abī Ḥātim narrated on a Shaykh who was from the Khawārij, who after his repentance said, ‘Look at those who you take your religion from, for indeed if we desired a matter, we would fabricate a Ḥadīth to support it.’ al-Ḥākim Abū ʿAbdullāh said, ‘Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim was from the heads of the Murji’ah and used to fabricate Aḥādīth that had the appearance of grandeur and would ascribe them to Ahl al-Ḥadīth, intending to disgrace them, due to what was between him and them from enmity.’
- Those who took fabrication of Ḥadīth as a means of income; insolent towards Allāh ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ, until (the point where) one of them would stay awake majority of the night to fabricate Ḥadīth.
- Those who are described with az-Zuhd; their religious zeal arising from ignorance is what prompted them to fabricate Ḥadīth in at-Targhīb wa at-Tarhīb, claiming to encourge the people to do good and prevent them from evil.
- The people of wordly desires such as the Quṣṣāṣ (story-tellers) and beggars.
- Those who fabricate Ḥadīth to become famous; they replace the weak Isnād with an authentic Isnād and a well known Isnād with a rare Isnād so their (narrations) would be sought.
- Those who have some fabricated Ḥadīth in their narrations unintentionally; like those who erred and (mistakenly) attributed the speech of the Companions to The Prophet ﷺ.”
All praise is due to Allāh, may His peace & blessings be upon our final Prophet Muḥammad, his family, his companions, & all those who follow him in guidance.
[Extracted & summarized from Qurrah ʿAyn al-Muḥtāj fī Sharḥ Muqaddimah Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (قرة عين المحتاج في شرح مقدمة صحيح مسلم بن الحجاج) by Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ādam al-Ethiopī رحمه الله – Translation from Shaykh Abū al-Ḥasan Mālik al-Akhḍar حفظه الله]
Ṣafīullāh Labīb ibn Salīm ʿAbd al-Malik
15th of Ṣafar 1445
- Muqaddimah Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (مقدمة صحيح مسلم) P. 14 (Dār al-Ḥadīth al-Qāhirah, 1431 AH). ↩︎
ibn Saleem 