0/5.1. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 45 — Identifying False Narrators
Unveiling Defects of the Transmitters of Ḥadīth and Relaters of Reports and the Statements of the A’immah Regarding That
Identifying False Narrators: Why Hadith Reports Need Care
Sahih Muslim : 45
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 45
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَامِرٍ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ بَرَّادٍ الأَشْعَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ مُفَضَّلٍ، عَنْ مُغِيرَةَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الشَّعْبِيَّ، يَقُولُ حَدَّثَنِي الْحَارِثُ الأَعْوَرُ، وَهُوَ يَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُ أَحَدُ الْكَاذِبِينَ .
Abū Āmir Abd Allah bin Barrād al-Ash’arī Narrated from:
Abū Usāmah narrated to us, on authority of Mufaḍḍal, on authority of Mughīrah, he said I heard ash-Sha’bī saying: ‘al-Hārith al-A’war narrated to me,’ and he [ash-Sha’bī] was testifying that he was one of the liars’.
Reference : Sahih Muslim Introduction 45In-book reference : Introduction, Narration 44
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 45
This report highlights identifying false narrators in hadith. Mughīrah says he heard ash-Sha'bi mention that al-Harith al-A'war narrated to him, while ash-Sha'bi was also testifying that al-Harith was one of the liars. The teaching is very direct. A person may be named in a chain, but that does not make his narration safe to rely on. The condition of the narrator must be known. This is why hadith narrator reliability is a key search topic for readers of Sahih Muslim Introduction. The report also shows that scholars could mention a narrator and still warn about him. That helps readers avoid a common mistake: assuming that every named transmitter is automatically accepted.
What we learn from this hadith
- A narrator being mentioned does not mean he is reliable.
- Scholars warned people when a narrator was known for lying.
- The condition of a transmitter affects how his reports are treated.
- Careful speech about narrators helps preserve reliable knowledge.
