Usool al Hadith - Forever Islam

الل َّه عنه أ َن َّ رسول َ الل َّهِ‏ صل َّى الل َّه عل َيهِ‏ وسل َّم دخ ل َ عام ال ْف َتحِ‏ وعل َى رأ ْسِهِ‏ال ْمِغف َر ف َل َما نزعه جاءَ‏اق ْتل ُوهرجل ٌ ف َق َال َ إِن َّ ابن خط َلٍ‏ متعل ِّق بِأ َستارِ‏ ال ْك َعب ةِ‏ف َق َال َMaalik from Ibn Shihaab from Anas ibn Maalik that the Messenger ofAllaah entered [Makkah] in the year of the Conquest wearing a helmet.When he removed it, a man came and said that Ibn Khatal was clingingto the curtain of the Ka‘bah. He said: “Kill him.” 24Imaam Maalik was the single narrator of this hadeeth from Ibn Shihaab az-Zuhree and he was from the generation of the students of the Successors.The category of Ghareeb Nisbee may be applied to a hadeeth for a varietyof other reasons.a) A single narrator who is graded Thiqah (reliable)b) A specific single narrator from another specific single narrator. Hadeethscholars say: So-and-so is the sole narrator from so-and-so.c) Single narrations from people of a specific town or region. Hadeethscholars say: The sole narrators of this hadeeth are the people ofMakkah or Syria.d) Narrations by people of a specific area from other people of a specificarea.The most well-known text written on Ghareeb hadeeths is that of Imaam ad-Daaraqutnee called Gharaa’ib Maalik.The Fiqh Value of Hadeeth AahaadWith regard to the use of aahaad as evidence, Aboo Haneefah added thecondition that the narrator’s action should not contradict his narration. On thebasis of this principle, Aboo Haneefah rejected the hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah inwhich he quoted the Prophet (r) as saying, “If a dog licks one of your dishes,wash it seven times, one of which with clean earth.” 25 Since the requirement ofwashing is normally three times, the report is considered weak, including itsattribution to Aboo Hurayrah. 26 On the other hand, the majority of scholars took24 Sahih Al-Bukhaari, vol. 4, p. 176, Chapter 169.25 Sahih Muslim, p. 41, no. 119.26 Aboo Zahrah, Usool, p. 85.