0/5.1. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 79 — Testing Narrated Hadiths
Unveiling Defects of the Transmitters of Ḥadīth and Relaters of Reports and the Statements of the A’immah Regarding That
Hadith Authentication and Testing Narrations
Sahih Muslim : 79
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 79
وَحَدَّثَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَا وَحَمْزَةُ الزَّيَّاتُ، مِنْ أَبَانَ بْنِ أَبِي عَيَّاشٍ نَحْوًا مِنْ أَلْفِ حَدِيثٍ . قَالَ عَلِيٌّ فَلَقِيتُ حَمْزَةَ فَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ رَأَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي الْمَنَامِ فَعَرَضَ عَلَيْهِ مَا سَمِعَ مِنْ أَبَانَ فَمَا عَرَفَ مِنْهَا إِلاَّ شَيْئًا يَسِيرًا خَمْسَةً أَوْ سِتَّةً .
Alī bin Mus’hir Narrated from:
Hamzah az-Zayyāt and I heard from Abān bin Abī Ayyāsh something like one thousand Ḥadīth’. Alī said: ‘So I met Hamzah then he informed me that he saw the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah upon him, [in a dream], and he produced for him what he heard from Abān. However he [the Prophet] didn’t recognize any except a small amount [like] five or six [Ḥadīth]’.
Reference : Sahih Muslim Introduction 79In-book reference : Introduction, Narration 78
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 79
This narration speaks about testing a large number of reports heard from Aban bin Abi Ayyash. Ali bin Mushir says he and Hamzah az-Zayyat heard around one thousand Hadith from Aban. Later, Hamzah informed him that he saw the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in a dream and presented what he heard from Aban. The Prophet did not recognize except a small amount, five or six. The text reports this as part of the wider theme of checking narrators and narrations. Without adding beyond the report, the lesson is that a large number of narrations does not itself prove reliability.
What we learn from this hadith
- A large number of reports does not by itself prove strength.
- Reports connected to a narrator may still need careful checking.
- The narration highlights concern about what was transmitted from Aban.
- Hadith authenticity depends on reliability, not quantity alone.
