Is this Hadith Authentic or Weak?

[MaxamedM]

لسلام علیکم everyone, in terms of Hadith I'm an absolute laymen. Also I've recently started to try and practice islam to the best of my ability. I was reading a post online in which I saw this hadith, A man was praying with his lower garment hanging down. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: Go and perform ablution. He then went and performed ablution. He then came and he said: Go and perform ablution. Then a man said to him: Messenger of Allah, what is the matter with you that you commanded him to perform ablution and then you kept silence ? He replied: He was praying while hanging down his lower garments, and Allah does not accept the prayer of a man who hangs down his lower garment.

The hadith was deemed as weak by Al-Albani but I want to ask others if they can make me feel confident that it is truly a weak Hadith.

['Abdullah]

Assalam O Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,

Most likely you are refering to hadith in Sunan Abi Dawud. Hadith is quoted below with reference:
Narrated Abu Hurairah:
A man was praying with his lower garment hanging down. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: Go and perform ablution. He then went and performed ablution. He then came and he said: Go and perform ablution. Then a man said to him: Messenger of Allah, what is the matter with you that you commanded him to perform ablution and then you kept silence ? He replied: He was praying while hanging down his lower garments, and Allah does not accept the prayer of a man who hangs down his lower garment.
حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ يُصَلِّي مُسْبِلاً إِزَارَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ اذْهَبْ فَتَوَضَّأْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَذَهَبَ فَتَوَضَّأَ ثُمَّ جَاءَ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ اذْهَبْ فَتَوَضَّأْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا لَكَ أَمَرْتَهُ أَنْ يَتَوَضَّأَ ثُمَّ سَكَتَّ عَنْهُ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّهُ كَانَ يُصَلِّي وَهُوَ مُسْبِلٌ إِزَارَهُ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَقْبَلُ صَلاَةَ رَجُلٍ مُسْبِلٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏
Grade: Da'if (Al-Albani)
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 4086
In-book reference: Book 34, Hadith 67
English translation: Book 33, Hadith 4075
http://sunnah.com/abudawud/34/67

Now this hadith is Daif as you pointed out but there are many others hadiths on similar topic (lowering garments below ankles) which are Sahih. For example:
Narrated Abdur Rahman:
I asked Abu Sa'id al-Khudri about wearing lower garment. He said: You have come to the man who knows it very well. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The way for a believer to wear a lower garment is to have it halfway down his legs and he is guilty of no sin if it comes halfway between that and the ankles, but what comes lower than the ankles is in Hell. On the day of Resurrection. Allah will not look at him who trails his lower garment conceitedly.
حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنِ الْعَلاَءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيَّ عَنِ الإِزَارِ، فَقَالَ عَلَى الْخَبِيرِ سَقَطْتَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ إِزْرَةُ الْمُسْلِمِ إِلَى نِصْفِ السَّاقِ وَلاَ حَرَجَ - أَوْ لاَ جُنَاحَ - فِيمَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْكَعْبَيْنِ مَا كَانَ أَسْفَلَ مِنَ الْكَعْبَيْنِ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ مَنْ جَرَّ إِزَارَهُ بَطَرًا لَمْ يَنْظُرِ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 4093
In-book reference: Book 34, Hadith 74
English translation: Book 33, Hadith 4082
https://sunnah.com/abudawud/34/74

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr who narrates that the Prophet (ﷺ) observed:
Three are the persons with whom Allah would not speak on the Day of Resurrection: the bestower of gift who does not give anything but by laying obligation on him, the seller of goods who sells them by taking false oath and one who hangs low his lower garment.
وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ خَلاَّدٍ الْبَاهِلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، - وَهُوَ الْقَطَّانُ - حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ مُسْهِرٍ، عَنْ خَرَشَةَ بْنِ الْحُرِّ، عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ ثَلاَثَةٌ لاَ يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الْمَنَّانُ الَّذِي لاَ يُعْطِي شَيْئًا إِلاَّ مَنَّهُ وَالْمُنَفِّقُ سِلْعَتَهُ بِالْحَلِفِ الْفَاجِرِ وَالْمُسْبِلُ إِزَارَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏
Reference: Sahih Muslim 106 b
In-book reference: Book 1, Hadith 200
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 1, Hadith 193
https://sunnah.com/muslim/1/200

Scholars have difference of opinion on this issue. Some say that lowering garments below ankles in a major sin and warnings in hadith should be taken seriously. Others say that lowering garments above ankle was to get rid of pride as it was custom of Arabs at that time to let their garments slide on the ground to show their pride. Now a days, even a poor person can afford to have garments which will go below ankles. So basically, they say that if you lower your garments without having any pride then its not a sin. Below are some links from scholars who supports both the opinions I mentioned above.
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/762/...one146s-ankles
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/...w-ones-ankles/

You can read both opinions to educate yourself and may be it is best to ask any questions to an Imam in your local community. If you are unable to decide which way to go then follow whatever your local Imam will say.

And Allah knows the best!

Ma'a Salama

[MaxamedM]

SubhanAllah, thank you for the complete answer. May Allah reward you. I just have one sub question to your answer. Is Sheikh Al-Albani a trusted scholar in the Muslim world? I am asking because I am new to understanding Hadiths.

['Abdullah]

Just like any other great scholar in Islam, you will hear/read criticism of his work from some scholars. I personally think he was one of the best scholar in contemporary times.

And Allah knows the best!

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[MaxamedM]

Thank you!

[MaxamedM]

Just like any other great scholar in Islam, you will hear/read criticism of his work from some scholars. I personally think he was one of the best scholar in contemporary times.

And Allah knows the best!

Asalamualaikum, I was reading the English translation of Sunan Abu Dawood and I saw it said this hadith was Hasan. I don't know why is it different from Al-Albani.

Attachment 6844

['Abdullah]

Asalamualaikum, I was reading the English translation of Sunan Abu Dawood and I saw it said this hadith was Hasan. I don't know why is it different from Al-Albani.

Attachment 6844

Wa Alaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
Hasan according to who?

Anyways, Hadith Scholars differed over what constitutes weakness in Hadith and although they generally agree on the majority of the criteria.

Al-Bani’s criteria to classify Hadith was more stringent and it possible to see a Hadith which classify as Daif, May have been classified as Sahih by another scholar. The difference will be in the methodology each one may have adopted.

Al-Albani's Criteria for grading the Hadith were compiled in a book entitled Minhaj Al-Albani Fi Takhrij in 480 pages by Shaykh Muhammad Ahmad Uways Abdil-Karim which he submitted for his doctoral thesis. To mention these criteria here would be quite lengthy and unless one is proficient in this science, one must accept their (or at least someone else's) gradings. Allah said, "Ask the People of Knowledge (lit. who remember) if you don't know."

Al-Albani engrossed himself in research and substantiated his claims and mentioned the earlier scholars who agreed with him in his 34 volume Silsilah Al-Hadith As-Sahihah wa Da'ifah wa Al-Mawdhu'ah. The names of his teachers and subjects he studied under them are available in his biography.

Now you and myself are layman and we have to rely on scholars work. If a well known and respected scholar is calling a Hadith Daif, then we should accept it as is. If we are student of Hadith knowledge then we may go into further depth to see the criteria used by a particular scholar and investigate further.

I hope that you find it helpful.
Ma’a Salama

[MaxamedM]

Thank you brother! I appreciate your response. I'm totally clueless to the science of Hadith so I just wanted to be sure.

[MaxamedM]

I am not sure who said it was Hasan but I got it from this book.Attachment 6845

['Abdullah]

I am not sure who said it was Hasan but I got it from this book.Attachment 6845

Okay, this is graded by Abu Tahir Muhammad bin Zubayr bin Mujaddid Khan (from the Pashtun tribe of Ali Za'i in Pakistan).

Ali Zai and Al-Albani rarely disagree on the grading of a narration and the majority of the time the difference is in the way they chose to classify it. Most of the time Ali Za'i grades the Isnad (only) when a Hadith is not present in Bukhari or Muslim while Al-Albani gives the final grading. An example of this is when a Hadith has a weak Isnad and Ali Za'i classifies it as such but Al-Albani knows of a support for it and raises it to being Hasan Li Ghayri (Weak but Hasan due to support) in which case he simply says "Hasan" while Ali Za'i says "Isnad Da'if"'. Darusalam ( the book you have is from Darusalam) didn't distinguish between Hadith Da'if and Isnad Da'if at the end of each narration because they felt the average Muslim is not in need of this distinguishment.

Ali Za'i specifically had a criteria which caused him to differ with Al-Albani and it is when a narrator was unknown and two Imams authenticated him, Ali Za'i classified him as Hasan Al-Hadith while Al-Albani did not take this stance. It is the cause for the difference in the grading over some reports which occurs in Nasa'i and Abu Dawud. The Hadith we are discussing is an example. Since we have similar Hadith is Bukhari and Muslims, Ali zai graded the Hadith we are discussing as Hasan which Albaani focus on the chain or narrators and found it to be Daif. This is another distinguished criteria of Ali Za'i that Al-Albani disagreed with was his general weakening of the Mudallis (the one who masks the identity of narrators in the chain).

Anyways what are we trying to achieve by this discussion? Let’s assume the Hadith is Hasan, how can it help a layman? You and I can’t drive the ruling by reading a single Hadith and for rulings of fiq, we will have to trust the work of these scholars. And the ruling by both these scholars is that one should raise that trousers above ankles in all circumstances whether one is praying or not. But as we discussed earlier, there are also other scholars who have a different opinion. The best is to keep reading the hadiths to educate yourself but stay away from deriving any rulings.

I hope that you find this helpful.
Ma’a Salama

[MaxamedM]

Okay, this is graded by Abu Tahir Muhammad bin Zubayr bin Mujaddid Khan (from the Pashtun tribe of Ali Za'i in Pakistan).

Ali Zai and Al-Albani rarely disagree on the grading of a narration and the majority of the time the difference is in the way they chose to classify it. Most of the time Ali Za'i grades the Isnad (only) when a Hadith is not present in Bukhari or Muslim while Al-Albani gives the final grading. An example of this is when a Hadith has a weak Isnad and Ali Za'i classifies it as such but Al-Albani knows of a support for it and raises it to being Hasan Li Ghayri (Weak but Hasan due to support) in which case he simply says "Hasan" while Ali Za'i says "Isnad Da'if"'. Darusalam ( the book you have is from Darusalam) didn't distinguish between Hadith Da'if and Isnad Da'if at the end of each narration because they felt the average Muslim is not in need of this distinguishment.

Ali Za'i specifically had a criteria which caused him to differ with Al-Albani and it is when a narrator was unknown and two Imams authenticated him, Ali Za'i classified him as Hasan Al-Hadith while Al-Albani did not take this stance. It is the cause for the difference in the grading over some reports which occurs in Nasa'i and Abu Dawud. The Hadith we are discussing is an example. Since we have similar Hadith is Bukhari and Muslims, Ali zai graded the Hadith we are discussing as Hasan which Albaani focus on the chain or narrators and found it to be Daif. This is another distinguished criteria of Ali Za'i that Al-Albani disagreed with was his general weakening of the Mudallis (the one who masks the identity of narrators in the chain).

Anyways what are we trying to achieve by this discussion? Let’s assume the Hadith is Hasan, how can it help a layman? You and I can’t drive the ruling by reading a single Hadith and for rulings of fiq, we will have to trust the work of these scholars. And the ruling by both these scholars is that one should raise that trousers above ankles in all circumstances whether one is praying or not. But as we discussed earlier, there are also other scholars who have a different opinion. The best is to keep reading the hadiths to educate yourself but stay away from deriving any rulings.

I hope that you find this helpful.
Ma’a Salama

Thank you brother!

['Abdullah]

You are very welcome. My advice is to start with Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. There is no conflict on authenticity of hadiths in these books.
Jazak Allah khair

Ma’aSalam

[Evo]

Aslm... Where can I find those books? Any pdf?

['Abdullah]

Aslm... Where can I find those books? Any pdf?

Assalam O Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh Sister,
Welcome to the forum.
You can find these books online. Link is below:
https://sunnah.com/
Most of these are translated into Urdu and English and may have small translation errors. But for the most part these are good for education purposes especially for those whose mother language is not Arabic.
Ma'aSalam

Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) in several languages...

[mrashidhai]

Shaikh Albani was not only a trusted scholar but the most trusted scholar. A very brief sketch of him;
Shaikh Naasir uddin Albani was a ‘Faqeeh’, the greatest ‘muhaddith’ of 20^th century. It is also said that he revived the time of Hafiz ibn Hajar and Hafiz ibn Katheer again. He was also described as the ‘mujaddid’ (reviver) of Islam.
Al-Albani was awarded the King Faisal's International Award for Islamic Studies in 1999 in tribute to his scientific efforts in authenticating and studying of the sciences of Hadith.
Shaikh Abdul ‘Azeez ibn Baaz also known as Bin Baaz the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia (1993-till his death in1999)stated:
“I have not seen a scholar of Hadeeth under the shade of the skies like Shaikh Naasir ud Deen al Albaani in this time period.”


Shaikh ibn Saalih al ‘Uthamymeen, stated:.
“…he possesses vast knowledge of Hadeeth, whether it is in the chains of narration or the understanding of the texts. Allaah has benefited many people through his written works, in terms of knowledge, ‘Manhaj’, and inclination to the knowledge of Hadeeth. He has had an enormous influence over the Muslims, and all praise is due to Allaah."

Shaikh Muqbil ibn Haadee al Waadi’ee stated:
“What I firmly believe and worship Allaah with is that Shaikh Naasir ud Deen al Albaani, may Allaah preserve him, is from the Muhadithoon, those whom the following statement of the Messenger of Allaah falls true upon: “Indeed Allaah sends someone (a mujaddid) who revives the affair of the religion at the end of every hundred years.’

Amongst his achievements:
1. He was selected by the Faculty of Sharee’ah in the University of Damascus to make Takhreej of the Ahaadeeth of transactions that were specifically collected by the University and published in 1955.

2. He was selected to be a member of the Committee of Hadeeth that was founded during the union between Egypt and Syria. It was tasked to oversee the publication and editing of the books of the Sunnah.

3. He was requested by the Salafee University in Banaris, India, to be responsible of the affairs of Hadeeth. He excused himself from the position due to the difficulty of taking his family there during the time of war between India and Pakistan.

4. In 1388 H. Shaikh Hassan ibn ‘Abdullaah Aal ash Shaikh requested that he assume the position of supervisor for higher education in the faculty of Islaamic studies in the University of Makkah, he was unable to take up the position.

5. He was selected to be a member of the Higher Committee in the Islaamic University of Madeenah from 1395 – 1398 H. He also lectured at the University.

6. He accepted the request of the noble Shaikh ‘Abdul ‘Azeez ibn Baaz, may Allaah have mercy upon him, to travel to Egypt, Morocco and Britain to call to Tawheed and the adherence to the Quraan and Sunnah with the correct Islaamic methodology.

7. He received the National King Faisal prize for Islaamic Studies in 1419 H. for ‘Efforts on the knowledge of Prophetic Hadeeth’

Amongst the books he authored:
As Silsilah as Saheehah, and As Silsilah ad Da’ifah are the most famous books of saheeh and da’if ahadith.
Shaikh Albani died on October 2, 1999, at the age of 85 and was buried in Amman, Jordan.

[Murid]

:bism:

So, you registred to point us such kindergarten populist claims tought to you by someone...
Please, be more rational.

Hadith transmission has its science and chain of transmission, of which every narrator is graded a lot more than todays psychological/psychiatric profile. To narrate hadith, you must know isnad. Most of ahadith have multiple isnads. There are also spiritual isnads.
Arabs knew very well what is the honor of speech. That was almost everything to them. Who wad cought in lies was almost socially dead.
You do not know the abilities to memorise in those times. People had eidetic, photographic memory, some knew 200 000 hadith. There are written books, one book by one author with about 40 000 hadith with isnad and grading. Every hadith was and is reevaluated again and again, alomg with the isnad.
You do not know the wonders that happened in these times and divine and other protections of both Quran and hadith and the procedure to write hadith.