Sacred Law—something universally known of the religion—and likewise anyone who holds the contrary belief.
As for one who does not possess this (1) description, while combining with that an accurate grasp (2) of what he transmits (3) together with piety and God-consciousness, nothing prevents accepting his narration (4).
(The second category) is the person whose innovation does not in any way (5) necessitate deeming him an unbeliever (6). Scholars have also differed over whether to accept or reject his reports:
Some said (7) that he should be rejected outright—though this is a far-fetched view—and the argument most often advanced is that narrating from him publicizes and promotes his cause, giving notoriety to his name (8).
On this basis, nothing should be transmitted from an innovator when the same report is available (9) from someone (10) free of innovation.
Another opinion states (11) that his narration is accepted (12) without restriction, unless he holds it lawful to lie, as explained earlier.
(1) MS A reads fa-hadhihi (“so these”).
(2) MS T reads hifzahu (“his memorization”).
(3) MS A has rawahu (“he transmitted it”).
(4) MS A reads qawluhu (“his statement”); MSS A, D, and K also add aslan (“at all”).
(5) MS T reads yaqtadi (“entails”); in A, J, Z, and H the word appears without diacritical dots.
(6) MS L has al-kufr (“unbelief”); a marginal copy notes al-takfir (“declaring unbelief”).
(7) MS A reads qila (“it was said”) without the prefixed fa; this wording is reported from some of the early scholars, including Imam Malik (see al-Khatib, al-Kifaya, p. 120).
(8) The preposition fi (“in”) is absent from MS J.
(9) MSS H, Ḥ, and M read yanbaghi (“should”).
(10) MS A has sharakahu (“he shared in it”).
(11) This is the view of al-Shafi‘i; al-Hakim attributes it to most hadith specialists, and al-Khatib transmits it from Ibn Abi Layla, al-Thawri, and Abu Yusuf al-Qadi. See al-Shafi‘i, al-Umm 7:510; al-Hakim, al-Madkhal ila Kitab al-Iklil, p. 49; and al-Khatib, al-Kifaya, p. 120.
(12) MS B reads tuqbal (“is accepted”).