How is a mawdu’ Hadith different from da’if jiddan?
I have read from ulama that there are some scholars who hold the position of narrating anything so long as its not fabricated.
Can you please name some of these scholars?
Answer
1. Mawdu’ Hadiths are fabricated ones.
Their chains usually have a narrator who has been deemed as a fabricator of Hadith.
2. Da’if jiddan translates as: extremely/very weak.
The narrator is not one who has been termed as a hadith fabricator, but he may be declared extremely unreliable due to him being an open sinner, being very negligent in quoting hadith or even for his outrageous mistakes when narrating a Hadith.
(Sharh Nukhbah of Ibn Hajar)
3. When discussing the ruling of weak Hadiths, several Scholars have only excluded fabrications from the permissibility of citation or practice. In other words, they say: ‘It is permissible to quote/practice upon weak hadiths as long as it is not mawdu”
(Ibnus Salah in his ‘Muqaddimah’ end of Chapter 22 & ‘Allamah Nawawi in his introduction to Al-Adhkar, pg.8)
There are several reliable scholars who have worded themselves like Hafiz Ibnus Salah & ‘Allamah Nawawi (rahimahumallah) did above.
One could pursue this in the books of Mustalahul Hadith (Hadith sciences)
(Refer: footnotes of Shaykh ‘Awwamah (hafizahullah) on Tadribur Rawi, vol.4 pg.524-532)
Note 1: When any weak Hadith contradicts an authentic one, the weak Hadith will not be suitable at all.
Note 2: We are encouraged to pay more attention to the reliable Hadiths and avoid the habit of ‘total reliance’ on weak narrations. Even though weak Hadiths may be suitable to quote, one should blend these with other authentic Hadiths on the same topic.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best,
Answered by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar
Checked by: Moulana Haroon Abasoomar