0/5.1. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 51 — Avoid Unreliable Storytellers
Unveiling Defects of the Transmitters of Ḥadīth and Relaters of Reports and the Statements of the A’immah Regarding That
Avoid Unreliable Storytellers: A Lesson for Hadith Students
Sahih Muslim : 51
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 51
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كَامِلٍ الْجَحْدَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ - قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمٌ، قَالَ كُنَّا نَأْتِي أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيَّ وَنَحْنُ غِلْمَةٌ أَيْفَاعٌ فَكَانَ يَقُولُ لَنَا لاَ تُجَالِسُوا الْقُصَّاصَ غَيْرَ أَبِي الأَحْوَصِ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَشَقِيقًا . قَالَ وَكَانَ شَقِيقٌ هَذَا يَرَى رَأْىَ الْخَوَارِجِ وَلَيْسَ بِأَبِي وَائِلٍ .
Asim Narrated from:
We would catch up with Abū Abd ar-Rahman as-Sulamī and at the time we were young men, so he would say to us: ‘Do not sit with story-tellers other than Abūl-Ahwas and beware of Shaqīq [Abū Abd ar-Rahīm]’. [Muslim] said: ‘This Shaqīq held the view of the Khawārij and is not Abū Wā’il [Shaqīq bin Salamah, the righteous Tabi’ī]’.
Reference : Sahih Muslim Introduction 51In-book reference : Introduction, Narration 50
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 51
This report is about avoiding unreliable storytellers in religious learning. Āsim says that when they were young, they would come to Abū Abd ar-Rahman as-Sulamī. He told them not to sit with storytellers except Abūl-Ahwas, and he warned them about Shaqīq. Muslim then explains that this Shaqīq held the view of the Khawārij and was not Abū Wā’il. The report teaches careful listening. Young learners can be influenced by speakers, so the teacher gave them a clear boundary. In terms of hadith narrator reliability, the report shows that the setting of learning also matters. It is not only about reading words; it is also about choosing trustworthy people to sit with and learn from.
What we learn from this hadith
- Young students should be careful about whom they sit with for religious knowledge.
- Not every storyteller is a safe source of learning.
- Names can be confused, so clarification matters.
- Teachers may warn students to protect their learning.
