“We do not cite from the Isrāʾīliyyāt except that which the Lawgiver has allowed to be transmitted—namely, whatever does not conflict with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Such reports belong to the category that is neither affirmed nor denied.” (1)

He said in the chapter on what has been reported concerning the seven earths:

“Likewise, the narration related from Ibn ʿAbbās stating, ‘On every earth there are creatures like those on this one—even an Adam like your Adam and an Abraham like your Abraham.’ Ibn Jarīr recorded it in abridged form, while al-Bayhaqī presented it in full in al-Asmāʾ wa’l-Ṣifāt. If its chain back to him is sound, it is to be understood as something Ibn ʿAbbās took from the Isrāʾīliyyāt. Allah knows best.” (2)

He also said in the chapter dealing with the creation of the heavens:

“As for the story many commentators mention regarding Hārūt and Mārūt—that Venus was a woman whom they courted, but she refused them unless they taught her the Greatest Name; they taught it to her, she uttered it, and was then raised up as a star in the sky—this is a fabrication of the Israelites, even though it was transmitted by Kaʿb al-Aḥbār.” (3)

Nevertheless, Ibn Kathīr (may Allah have mercy on him) was not entirely free from including certain Isrāʾīli narrations that contain exaggerations, fanciful tales, or outright contradictions of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. His desire for completeness, along with the pull of following earlier authors, occasionally led him to cite them.

2- Citing the source from which he draws his information: this is an aspect of scholarly integrity. We have heard from our teachers (may Allah preserve them) that the blessing of knowledge lies in honest transmission and accurate attribution. Thus Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr abridges some battle accounts yet refers the reader to their fuller version in Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (4); he quotes Ibn al-Jawzī’s al-Muntaẓam and states this explicitly in numerous places (5); and he likewise cites Ibn al-Athīr’s al-Kāmil, declaring it clearly as well (6).

3- Critique of prominent authors: such criticism reveals an independent personality, a sharp mind, and a refusal to remain silent when the truth must be shown. We see him giving his judgment on al-Mukhtār al-Thaqafī and censuring al-Ṭabarī (7) for his stance on the matter; he bitterly criticizes Ibn Khallikān (8) for his questionable position toward the heretic Ibn al-Rawandī; and he even reproaches his own teacher, al-Dhahabī (9), for being taken in by the author of al-ʿIqd al-Farīd.