0/5.1. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 44 — Warning Against Lying Narrators
Unveiling Defects of the Transmitters of Ḥadīth and Relaters of Reports and the Statements of the A’immah Regarding That
Lying Narrators in Hadith: A Direct Warning from ash-Sha'bi
Sahih Muslim : 44
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 44
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مُغِيرَةَ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي الْحَارِثُ الأَعْوَرُ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، وَكَانَ، كَذَّابًا .
Qutaybah bin Sa’īd Narrated from:
Jarīr narrated to us, on authority of Mughīrah, on authority of ash-Sha’bī, he said: ‘al-Hārith al-A’war ul-Hamdānī narrated to me, and he is a liar’.
Reference : Sahih Muslim Introduction 44In-book reference : Introduction, Narration 43
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 44
This report is centered on lying narrators in hadith. Ash-Sha'bi says that al-Harith al-A'war al-Hamdani narrated to him, and then he states that al-Harith was a liar. The wording is short, but its message is strong. It shows that scholars did not hide serious problems in narration when the truth of religious reports was at stake. The report does not add extra details about the reason, so the safe lesson is to stay with what is stated: ash-Sha'bi identified this narrator as unreliable due to lying. In hadith narrator criticism, such statements helped people know which reports needed to be avoided or treated with caution. This protects the listener from accepting religious claims without knowing the condition of the person who reported them.
What we learn from this hadith
- A narrator accused of lying is not treated like a trusted source.
- Scholars spoke plainly when a narrator’s reliability was seriously harmed.
- Knowing the condition of narrators helps protect hadith transmission.
- Religious reports should be checked before being accepted.
