but to take (1) from his ḥadith only what is not repudiated, on the condition that he does not thereby bolster (2) his innovation.” (3) End of quotation.
What he has said is well-founded, for the very cause (4) that led to rejecting the narration of an outspoken propagandist is equally present (5) whenever the apparent wording of what is transmitted supports the innovator’s school—even if he is not himself a propagandist. And Allah knows best. (6)
[Poor memory]
Next comes poor memory, the tenth reason for impugning a transmitter. What is meant is a narrator whose accurate reports do not outweigh (7) his mistakes, and this is of two types:
- If the defect is constant in the narrator under all circumstances, then—according to some ḥadith specialists—he is deemed irregular (shādh).
[Confusion]
2. Or the poor memory may be incidental, striking the narrator because of old age, the loss of his sight (8), the burning of his books, or his no longer possessing them, in that he was (9)