Explanation

What the author—may Allah have mercy on him—intends is that the route he has just described cannot, by itself, establish the exact wording and subtle particulars that are known only through a stronger, more reliable path. Here he is not discussing mursal reports; rather, he is speaking about the specific incident in question. The precise phrases and minute details of that incident are not confirmed by this method alone; verifying them requires sound transmission on which one can depend. The general contours of the event—as an event—are indeed affirmed by the route on which the narrators agree, but its finer points and nuances must be proven by a route capable of conveying such precision.

For this reason the Battle of Badr is established by tawatur, and it is certain that it occurred before Uhud. It is likewise known with certainty that Hamzah, ʿAlī, and Abū ʿUbaydah advanced against ʿUtbah, Shaybah, and al-Walīd; that ʿAlī killed al-Walīd; and that Hamzah slew his own opponent—though scholars differ as to whether that opponent was ʿUtbah or Shaybah.

This principle ought to be recognized, for it is highly beneficial in reaching definitive judgments about many transmitted matters: in hadith, Qur’anic exegesis, the Prophet’s campaigns, and in reports of people’s statements and actions, among other things. Thus, when a hadith of this type is reported from the Prophet ﷺ through two independent chains, and we know that one narrator did not take it from the other, we rule that it is authentic—especially when it is also known that the transmitters are not people who deliberately lie, their only possible flaw being the risk of forgetfulness.