in (1/265–268), to reconcile it with the hadith about seeking permission and similar reports by claiming that it had been abrogated—despite knowing, as anyone acquainted with the principles of jurisprudence knows, that abrogation applies to legal rulings, not to reports. For it is inconceivable that the truthful one whose truthfulness is affirmed should report that a person is in Hell, only for this to be abrogated by his saying that the person is in Paradise. This is plainly known among the scholars.

Part of his recklessness in this matter was his complete omission of Muslim’s hadith from Anas, which corresponds exactly to the hadith under discussion. He did not so much as allude to it. Indeed, his pen carried him so far in excess that he declared it weak, relying on remarks made by some concerning a narration of Hammad ibn Salamah—although he knew that Hammad was one of the leading and trustworthy scholars of the Muslims, and that his narrations from Thabit are sound. Ibn al-Madini, Ahmad, and others even said: “The most reliable transmitters from Thabit are Hammad, then Sulayman, then Hammad ibn Zayd; and their narrations are sound.”

I read this aforementioned weakening long ago in one of his treatises on the hadith of revivification, printed in India. I do not have it at hand now to quote his words and trace its defects; whoever wishes to verify this may consult it. One consequence of his declaring it weak, I noticed, was that he also omitted it from some of his compilations that gather everything indiscriminately, such as al-Jami' al-Saghir, its supplement, and al-Jami' al-Kabir. For this reason, Kanz al-'Ummal is likewise devoid of it. Allah is the One whose help is sought, and there is neither might nor power except through Allah.

Consider the difference between him and al-Hafiz al-Bayhaqi, who gave precedence to faith and affirmation over emotion and caprice. When he cited the hadith, “I was born of marriage, not fornication,” he followed it by saying: “His parents were polytheists, as evidenced by what he informed us of...” Then he cited this hadith of Anas and the previously mentioned hadith of Abu Hurayrah concerning the Prophet’s visit to his mother’s grave, peace and blessings be upon him.