Hadith 39

Sahih Muslim

Book 0: Introduction

Chapter 5

That Which is Related to the Statements ‘The Chain of Narration is from the Religion’; ‘Transmissions are not Taken Except from Trustworthy Narrators’; and ‘Criticism of the Narrators With What is Permissible Regarding Them, Even Obligatory and That It is not the Prohibited Kind of Backbiting, Rather it is the Defense of the Noble Sharī’ah’

باب فِي أَنَّ الإِسْنَادَ مِنَ الدِّينِ وَأَنَّ الرِّوَايَةَ لَا تَكُونُ إِلَّا عَنْ الثِّقَاتِ وَأَنَّ جَرْحَ الرُّوَاةِ بِمَا هُوَ فِيهِمْ جَائِزٌ بَلْ وَاجِبٌ وَأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ الْغِيبَةِ الْمُحَرَّمَةِ بَلْ مِنْ الذَّبِّ عَنْ الشَّرِيعَةِ الْمُكَرَّمَةِ

Sahih Muslim Introduction 40
وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَتَّابٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عَفَّانُ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْقَطَّانِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ لَمْ نَرَ الصَّالِحِينَ فِي شَىْءٍ أَكْذَبَ مِنْهُمْ فِي الْحَدِيثِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي عَتَّابٍ فَلَقِيتُ أَنَا مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْقَطَّانِ، فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، لَمْ تَرَ أَهْلَ الْخَيْرِ فِي شَىْءٍ أَكْذَبَ مِنْهُمْ فِي الْحَدِيثِ ‏.‏ قَالَ مُسْلِمٌ يَقُولُ يَجْرِي الْكَذِبُ عَلَى لِسَانِهِمْ وَلاَ يَتَعَمَّدُونَ الْكَذِبَ ‏.‏
Muhammad bin Abī Attāb narrated to me, he said Affān narrated to me, on authority of Muhammad bin Yahyā bin Sa’īd al-Qattān, on authority of his father, he said:

‘We do not see the righteous more false in anything than they are regarding Ḥadīth’. Ibn Abī Attāb said: ‘So Muhammad bin Yahyā bin Sa’īd al-Qattān and I met and I asked him about it and he said on authority of his father: ‘You will not see the people of good (Ahl ul-Khayr) more false in anything than they are regarding Ḥadīth.’ Muslim said: ‘He was saying that falsehood flows upon their tongues although they do not intend to lie’.