# What is the point of checking a hadith's chain of narrators?

*Chain criticism serves the content; Bukhari is not infallible*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ngz8jo6o0f4/s/3/
- Date: 2018-07-08 · Kind: discussion · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Reply to Sunni (Wahhabi) Defence Pt. II -Mufti Abu Layth (13:53–16:28)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGz8JO6O0f4&t=833s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ngz8jo6o0f4/

**Topics:** Text criticism, reason and the Quran; Sahih al-Bukhari (BukhariGate); Responses to critics

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Chain criticism exists only to judge whether a hadith's content is sound; content against reason, the Quran or Islam's principles is a problem. Treating Bukhari as infallible is nonsense.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says chain criticism was not a goal in itself but was only invented to know whether the content of a hadith was sound.

**Evidence, his words at 13:53:** “chain criticism was not a goal in itself chain criticism was only this so we know the teaching of the Prophet was correct” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGz8JO6O0f4&t=833s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says people forget that chain criticism was only invented to know whether the content of a hadith was sound and was never a goal in itself. After the chain, he says, one looks at the content: whether it goes against reason, against the Quran and the corroborated authentic Sunnah, or against the principles of Islam; if it complements them there is no problem. A hadith that tells you that you can blackmail someone into sex, he says, is a big problem. He says the same critics once said 'so what' if the Prophet was sexually impotent, and that they will do anything to salvage al-Bukhari. He says he has nothing against al-Bukhari, who may have been a great person and whose book was his private project, but that treating it as infallible and the hadith of the Sahihayn as yielding certainty is utter nonsense.

## Sources and names cited

- judging a report by its content (matn)
- matn (text of a report)
- Imam al-Bukhari
- Sahih al-Bukhari

## Transcript (machine tier, 13:53–16:28)

[13:14] so some defense oh my god this won't be problem you know this one big problem so soon need offense was to say Oh is Abu layth then yeah you could say have illusions but as in to make mistakes is the main thing what they're trying together now so many defense is saying that there's over 500 narrations in sahih hain of alarm wish does that mean every single one of them is weak I never said every single one of them has to be weak

[13:52] why because hadith what is the whole purpose of chain criticism something people constantly forget is chained criticism was really only invented so we could know whether the mutton and the actual content of the hadith was sound chain criticism was not a goal in itself chain criticism was only this so we know the teaching of the Prophet was correct so let's first of all we look at the chain fine then we look at all right look at gym in

[14:32] the morning huh cramping up now so right now the now we look at the content the hadith content does it go against the three principles does it go against reason does it go against the established sources like the Quran and and the corroborated and the tort authentic Sunnah the authentic Sunnah does it go against the principles of Islam maybe it complements them perfectly then we've got no problem with that hadith because it just complements teachings which already they know I problem asked me amigo but if the

[15:11] teaching is telling you oh you can blackmail somebody into having sex with them this one big problem my friend but then seriously what do we expect from these people these are the same people when they last mutation against me and I played the recording if you watch my clip and I believe it was him as well this exact same person saying that so what if the Prophet was sexually impotent these were their words said so what its embody some what you see this is the kind of respect these people have to our Deen to Allah and His Messenger what do we expect from

[15:50] these kind of people they will do anything to salvage Buhari now I've got nothing against Bihari per se you see a man Bihari may have been a great person his book was his private project but what these people have turned Bihari into is is unacceptable they've given infallible status they've said that every hadith the hadith in sahih hain they've said you fiddle utta which means are certain certain and that is utter nonsense

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment NGz8JO6O0f4/s/3. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ngz8jo6o0f4/s/3/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.