0/5.1. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 81 — Narrator Identity in Hadith
Unveiling Defects of the Transmitters of Ḥadīth and Relaters of Reports and the Statements of the A’immah Regarding That
Hadith Authentication and Narrator Identity
Sahih Muslim : 81
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 81
وَحَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ بَعْضَ، أَصْحَابِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ بَقِيَّةُ لَوْلاَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَكْنِي الأَسَامِيَ وَيُسَمِّي الْكُنَى كَانَ دَهْرًا يُحَدِّثُنَا عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْوُحَاظِيِّ فَنَظَرْنَا فَإِذَا هُوَ عَبْدُ الْقُدُّوسِ .
Ibn al-Mubārak Narrated from:
What an excellent man is Baqiyyah, if it were not for the fact that he would provide a nickname for [those who were better-known by] the birth name, and he would provide the birth name for [those who were better-known by] a nickname. For a long time he would narrated to us on authority of Abī Sa’īd al-Wuhāthī, then when we investigated [we were surprised that] he was Abd ul-Quddūs ’.
Reference : Sahih Muslim Introduction 81In-book reference : Introduction, Narration 80
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 81
This report is about narrator identity in Hadith chains. Ibn al-Mubarak praised Baqiyyah, but then pointed out a problem: he would give a nickname for someone known by a birth name, and give a birth name for someone known by a nickname. The example given is that he narrated for a long time from Abu Sa’id al-Wuhathi, but when they investigated, they found it was Abd ul-Quddus. The lesson is clear. In hadith authentication, names and nicknames are not small details. If a narrator’s identity is hidden or unclear, it can affect how the chain is understood and checked.
What we learn from this hadith
- Narrator names and nicknames must be clear.
- Changing how a narrator is identified can hide who he is.
- Investigation helps uncover unclear narrator identities.
- A good quality in a narrator does not remove the need to check his chains.
