Q248 :When I read Hadiths in some of the six
netpilations of authentic Hadiths, I have strong doubts about the
authenticity of some Hadiths included in them. How is it that
inauthentic Hadiths were included in these books?
A248 : Those great scholars who netpiled the six
books of authentic Hadiths spared no effort in making their selections
netplete. You must not forget that they were human beings and, as such,
liable to error. It is true that a few entries in each netpilation
remain less authentic than the rest, but we have to assume that an
eminent scholar such as Al-Tirmithi or Abu Dawood must have concluded
that they were authentic. If he was mistaken in that, this mistake does
not detract from the value of his work. Moreover, each of these
scholars set himself certain rules and criteria which he applied to
each Hadith in order to determine its authenticity. The rules and
criteria set by Imam Al-Bukhari were much stricter than those set by
others. Hence, you find some entries in their collections, which are
not as authentic as those included in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari or
Muslim. Indeed, you have such a classification of Hadiths as “Authentic
according to the conditions and criteria set by Al-Tirmithi, or Abu
Dawood.” Such Hadiths should be considered authentic, unless there is
reason to classify them otherwise.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )