sound, while at other times it is weak—or even fabricated. This applies all the more to what he reports without a chain of transmission and without identifying the speaker. The same is found in the writings of jurists: some of the hadiths and reports they contain are sound, others weak, and others fabricated. Likewise, the reports transmitted in books on softening the heart and Sufism include sound, weak, and fabricated material. All Muslims agree on this; they do not dispute that these books contain material of these different kinds. Indeed, even works of Quranic exegesis contain both sound and unsound material. Hadith scholars are better equipped to assess transmitted reports, yet their books contain both kinds—how much more, then, those of others!

Authors may be leading authorities in jurisprudence, Sufism, or hadith, yet transmit such material because they do not know that it is false. This is generally the case with religious people, for they do not cite as evidence what they know to be false. At other times, they mention it even though they know it is false, because their purpose is to relate what has been transmitted on that subject. Transmitting fabricated hadiths while explaining that they are false is permissible.

However, transmitting them as a basis for practice while remaining silent about their falsity is forbidden according to the scholars. As is authentically reported, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever relates a hadith from me which he believes to be false is one of the liars.”

Many scholars have done so,