in matters of sacred law—acts that are obligatory, forbidden, recommended, disliked, or merely permissible—the consensus that carries authority is that of the jurist-scholars who issue legal rulings. In exactly the same way, when the issue is one of grammar, the consensus to be heeded is that of the grammarians, and so on for every discipline. The people of each field know best what produces certainty within their own science. A jurist does not know the consensus of the grammarians, nor that of the ḥadith experts, nor, for instance, that of the scholars of uṣūl. What matters, therefore, is that we consider the consensus of every group within its own science and craft. Consequently, if someone were to tell us, “The jurists, or the theologians, disagree over solitary reports and say that such reports can never yield knowledge,” we would reply, “Their disagreement does not concern us; what matters is the consensus of the ḥadith specialists.” Apply the same principle across the board.

What is meant here is that when several independent transmission routes converge without habitual consultation or prior agreement, certainty is produced regarding the substance transmitted. This principle proves especially useful in the science that investigates the conditions of transmitters.

Explanation

If, for example, a grammarian came and said, “The scholars have unanimously agreed on the obligation of covering the ʿawrah during prayer,” we would answer, “That is not your domain; stay in your own nest. Rather say, ‘The scholars have unanimously agreed that the subject is raised and the object is put in the accusative,’ and we will respond, ‘Indeed, we hear and obey.’” For this reason the author—may Allah have mercy on him—remarks that this principle is of great benefit in the science that studies transmitters’ states: is the person conveying the statement a jurist, a scholar of uṣūl, or a grammarian?

In such contexts even the narration of an unknown transmitter, one with poor retention, a mursal report, and the like, can be useful; hence the scholars would record them