Fatwa #140088 March 2006United States of America
What is the status of weak ahadith? Can they be narrated?
Question
Can they be narrated?
Would our fiqh and deen suffice (be complete) with just strong ahadith?
What should a laymen do when he hears someone declare a hadith to be weak?
Also I read somewhere that the below quoted hadith is weak and therefore should not be narrated, is this correct?
Salmaan (RA) reports, "On the last day of Sha-baan Rasulullah (SAW) addressed us and said, '0 people there comes over you now a great month, a most blessed month in which lies a night more greater in virtue than a thousand months. It is a month in which Allah has made Fasting compulsory by day. And has made sunnah the Taraaweeh by night. Whosoever intends drawing near to Allah by performing any virtuous deed, for such person shall be the reward like the one who had performed a fardh in any other time. And whoever performs a fardh, shall be blessed with the reward of seventy faraa-idh in any other time.
Lastly, what is the status of the book that respected Mufti Ebrahim Desai saheb was going to publish relating to ahadith?
Answer
1. Weak Ahaadith can be used to explain virtues of different actions. Hafiz ibn Hajar mentions 3 conditions for a weak Hadith. a) The chain of narrators should not be extremely weak, b) The purport of the Hadith should fall under some established practise in Deen, c) One should not believe the Hadith to be authentic, rather he should be practising on it for purposes of Ihtiyaat (precaution, i.e. if it is really a Hadith and one does not practise on it one may be taken to task.’ (Ajwibatul Faadhilah pg.40; Darussalaam)
2. The authenticity of this Hadith is widely disputed. Hafiz al-Dimyati [ra] has verified it to be quite authentic. (Matjarur raabih)
3. At present, it is being edited.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai