Nuzhat al-Nazar fi Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar - Tahqiq al-Qasim - Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani - (100)

reached the level of tawātur (mass transmission) (1), for it is accompanied by corroborating indicators (2), among them:
– the towering authority of the Two Shaykhs in this field;
– their precedence in distinguishing sound reports from those that are not;
– the scholars’ reception of their two books (3) with full acceptance. That scholarly reception by itself yields knowledge more forcefully than a mere abundance of chains that still fall short of tawātur.

This privilege (4) is limited to narrations in the two books that no ḥāfiẓ (hadith master) has criticized, and to reports (5) whose respective implications do not pull against each other within the two compilations—when no decisive preference exists—for it is impossible for two contradictory propositions to impart certain knowledge of their truth without one being favored over the other.

Beyond these exceptions, there is unanimous agreement that what remains is authentic.

Should it be said, “They only concurred on the obligation to act on those reports, not on their authenticity,” we reject that contention (7).

(1) MS J reads “hadd al-tawatur,” whereas MS Y has “hadd al-mutawatir.” (2) MSS B, J, and W read “ihtaffat.” (3) MS H reads “likitabihima.” (4) MSS T and Y read “mukhtas,” and the word “yakhtassu” is missing from MS A. (5) MS A reads “wa-mimma.” (6) MSS W, Z, and L, together with a copy noted in the margin of Y, read “al-takhaluf.” Al-Qari, in his Sharh Sharh al-Nukhba (p. 223), comments: “(lam yaqaʿi al-tajadhub) means al-takhaluf, as one copy shows; the sense intended is ‘contradiction’.” (7) MSS H and T read “maʿnahu.”

يَبْلُغِ التَّوَاتُرَ (١)، فَإِنَّهُ احْتَفَّ (٢) بِهِ قَرَائِنُ؛ مِنْهَا: - جَلَالَتُهُمَا فِي هَذَا الشَّأْنِ. - وَتَقَدُّمُهُمَا فِي تَمْيِيزِ الصَّحِيحِ عَلَى غَيْرِهِمَا. - وَتَلَقِّي العُلَمَاءِ لِكِتَابَيْهِمَا (٣) بِالقَبُولِ، وَهَذَا التَّلَقِّي وَحْدَهُ أَقْوَى فِي إِفَادَةِ العِلْمِ مِنْ مُجَرَّدِ كَثْرَةِ الطُّرُقِ القَاصِرَةِ عَنِ التَّوَاتُرِ. إِلَّا أَنَّ هَذَا يَخْتَصُّ (٤) بِمَا لَمْ يَنْتَقِدْهُ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الحُفَّاظِ مِمَّا فِي الكِتَابَيْنِ، وَبِمَا (٥) لَمْ يَقَعِ التَّجَاذُبُ (٦) بَيْنَ مَدْلُولَيْهِ مِمَّا وَقَعَ فِي الكِتَابَيْنِ - حَيْثُ لَا تَرْجِيحَ -؛ لِاسْتِحَالَةِ أَنْ يُفِيدَ المُتَنَاقِضَانِ العِلْمَ بِصِدْقِهِمَا مِنْ غَيْرِ تَرْجِيحٍ لِأَحَدِهِمَا عَلَى الآخَرِ. وَمَا عَدَا ذَلِكَ؛ فَالإِجْمَاعُ حَاصِلٌ عَلَى تَسْلِيمِ صِحَّتِهِ. فَإِنْ قِيلَ: إِنَّمَا اتَّفَقُوا عَلَى وُجُوبِ العَمَلِ بِهِ لَا عَلَى صِحَّتِهِ؛ مَنَعْنَاهُ (٧).

(١) في ج: «حدّ التواتر»، وفي ي: «حدّ المتواتر». (٢) في ب، ج، و: «احتفَّت». (٣) في هـ: «لكتابهما». (٤) في ط، ي: «مختص»، و «يَخْتَصُّ» سقطت من أ. (٥) في أ: «ومما». (٦) في و، ز، ل، ونسخة على حاشية ي: «التخالف». قال القارِي ﵀ في شرح شرح النُّخبة (ص ٢٢٣): «(لَمْ يَقَعِ التَّجَاذُبُ) أي: التخالف؛ كما في نسخة، والمراد: التعارض». (٧) في ح، ط: «معناه».