629, edited by al-Zahrani). All of these scholars made these statements concerning Ibn Qurazah and his hadith, yet this man declares him defective on the grounds that he is unknown! Is it ignorance, feigned ignorance, or both together?!
Nor was the man content merely to weaken this hadith from Muslim’s collection. There are other hadiths which he weakened with the same ignorance and claim of obscurity—as will be indicated under correction no. 13. Here, however, I wish to point out that no. 129, which he mentioned at the end of his foregoing remarks, refers to the hadith of Umm Salamah:
“He will appoint rulers over you, and you will recognize some of their deeds as right and denounce others ...” The hadith includes: “They said, ‘Should we not fight them?’ He said, ‘No, so long as they establish the prayer.’”
Muslim narrated it. Yet the man declared it defective with the same kind of ignorant reasoning by which he impugned the preceding hadith. He said (6/89):
“There is room to question its authenticity, for its chain of transmission includes Dabbah ibn Muhsin, whose status is unknown.”
Thus he spoke—may Allah guide him. He remains deeply entrenched in opposing the leading hadith scholars, obstinately following his own course and paying no heed to any knowledge. For this hadith warrants what we said concerning the one before it, and more. Al-Hafiz Ibn Khalfun al-Andalusi said of this Dabbah:
“Trustworthy and well-known.”
Al-Dhahabi said:
“Trustworthy.”
And al-Hafiz said: “Truthful.”
Al-Tirmidhi graded this very hadith authentic, and none declared it weak except this latter-day man. Indeed, its strength is further reinforced by two corroborating reports: one is this hadith of ‘Awf, and the other is a similar hadith of Abu Hurayrah, narrated by Ibn Hibban and others with an authentic chain of transmission. Its documentation will appear under no. 3007, along with the refutation of this latter-day man. Allah is the One whose help is sought against the corruption of the people of this age and the self-admiration of everyone possessed of an opinion in his own opinion,