Sharh al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyya by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح الأربعين النووية) — Page 20

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الْمُصَنَّفَةُ فِي عِلْمِ الْحَدِيثِ، وَلِهَذَا قَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُحَدِّثِينَ: إِنَّ مَا اتَّفَقَا عَلَيْهِ لَا يُفِيدُ الظَّنَّ فَقَطْ بَلْ يُفِيدُ الْعِلْمَ.

compiled in the science of Hadith, and for this reason, some scholars of Hadith said: That which they both agreed upon does not only yield probabilistic knowledge, but rather it yields certain knowledge.

وَصَحِيحُ الْبُخَارِيِّ أَصَحُّ مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ، لِأَنَّ الْبُخَارِيَّ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - يَشْتَرِطُ فِي الرِّوَايَةِ أَنْ يَكُونَ الرَّاوِي قَدْ لَقِيَ مَنْ رَوَى عَنْهُ، وَأَمَّا مُسْلِمٌ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - فَيَكْتَفِي بِمُطْلَقِ الْمُعَاصَرَةِ مَعَ إِمْكَانِ اللِّقِيِّ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَثْبُتْ لَقِيُّهُ، وَقَدْ أَنْكَرَ عَلَى مَنْ يَشْتَرِطُ اللِّقَاءَ فِي أَوَّلِ الصَّحِيحِ إِنْكَاراً عَجِيباً.

Sahih al-Bukhari is more authentic than Sahih Muslim, because al-Bukhari—may Allah have mercy on him—stipulates for narration that the narrator must have met the one from whom he narrates, whereas Muslim—may Allah have mercy on him—is satisfied with mere contemporaneity along with the possibility of meeting, even if the meeting is not proven, and he criticized those who stipulate the meeting in the introduction of his Sahih in a remarkable manner.

فَالصَّوَابُ مَا ذَكَرَهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - أَنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ مِنْ ثُبُوتِ اللِّقِيِّ.

The correct view is what al-Bukhari—may Allah have mercy on him—mentioned, that the meeting must be proven.

لَكِنْ ذَكَرَ الْعُلَمَاءُ أَنَّ سِيَاقَ مُسْلِمٍ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - أَحْسَنُ مِنْ سِيَاقِ الْبُخَارِيِّ، لِأَنَّهُ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - يَذْكُرُ الْحَدِيثَ ثُمَّ يَذْكُرُ شَوَاهِدَهُ وَمُتَابَعَاتِهِ فِي مَكَانٍ وَاحِدٍ وَالْبُخَارِيُّ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - يُفَرِّقُ الْحَدِيثَ، فَفِي الصِّنَاعَةِ صَحِيحُ مُسْلِمٍ أَفْضَلُ، وَأَمَّا فِي الرِّوَايَةِ وَالصِّحَّةِ فَصَحِيحُ الْبُخَارِيِّ أَفْضَلُ.

However, scholars have mentioned that the arrangement of Muslim—may Allah have mercy on him—is better than the arrangement of al-Bukhari, because he—may Allah have mercy on him—mentions the Hadith and then mentions its supporting narrations and follow-up chains in one place, while al-Bukhari—may Allah have mercy on him—disperses the Hadith; thus, in terms of technical composition, Sahih Muslim is superior, but in terms of narration and authenticity, Sahih al-Bukhari is superior.

تَشَاجَرَ قَوْمٌ فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ وَمُسْلِمٍ لَدَيَّ وَقَالُوا: أَيُّهُمَا تَقَدَّمَ؟

Some people argued in my presence regarding al-Bukhari and Muslim and asked: Which of them takes precedence?

فَقُلْتُ: لَقَدْ فَاقَ الْبُخَارِيُّ صِحَّةً كَمَا فَاقَ فِي حُسْنِ الصِّنَاعَةِ مُسْلِمٌ.

I said: Al-Bukhari has excelled in authenticity, just as Muslim has excelled in the quality of composition.

قَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ: وَلَوْلَا الْبُخَارِيُّ مَا رَاحَ مُسْلِمٌ وَلَا جَاءَ، لِأَنَّهُ شَيْخُهُ.

Some people of knowledge said: Were it not for al-Bukhari, Muslim would not have gone or come, because he was his teacher.

فَالْحَدِيثُ إِذَنْ صَحِيحٌ يُفِيدُ الْعِلْمَ الْيَقِينِيَّ، لَكِنَّهُ لَيْسَ يَقِينِيّاً بِالْعَقْلِ وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ يَقِينِيٌّ بِالنَّظَرِ لِثُبُوتِهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ.

The Hadith, therefore, is authentic and yields certain knowledge, but it is not certain by way of pure intellect; rather, it is certain by way of consideration of its establishment from the Prophet.

مِنْ فَوَائِدِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ: ١ - هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ أَحَدُ الْأَحَادِيثِ الَّتِي عَلَيْهَا مَدَارُ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَلِهَذَا قَالَ الْعُلَمَاءُ: مَدَارُ الْإِسْلَامِ عَلَى حَدِيثَيْنِ: هُمَا هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ، وَحَدِيثُ عَائِشَةَ: مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلاً لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ.

Among the benefits of this Hadith: 1- This Hadith is one of the Hadiths upon which the pivot of Islam rests, and for this reason, scholars said: The pivot of Islam is upon two Hadiths: they are this Hadith, and the Hadith of Aisha: 'Whoever performs an act which is not in accordance with our matter, it is rejected.'

فَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ عُمْدَةُ أَعْمَالٍ.

So this Hadith is the foundation of deeds.

Vocabulary · المفردات (18 verbs · 44 nouns)

• صَنَّفَ — to classify
• اِتَّفَقَ — to agree
• أَفَادَ — to yield or provide
• رَحِمَ — to have mercy
• اِشْتَرَطَ — to stipulate
• لَقِيَ — to meet
• رَوَى — to narrate
• اِكْتَفَى — to suffice
• ثَبَتَ — to be proven
• أَنْكَرَ — to deny
• ذَكَرَ — to mention
• فَرَّقَ — to separate
• تَشَاجَرَ — to quarrel
• تَقَدَّمَ — to precede
• فَاقَ — to excel
• رَاحَ — to go
• جَاءَ — to come
• عَمِلَ — to work
• عِلْم — knowledge
• حَدِيث — hadith
• بَعْض — some
• مُحَدِّث — hadith scholar
• ظَنّ — conjecture
• صَحِيح — authentic
• رِوَايَة — narration
• رَاوِي — narrator
• مُطْلَق — absolute
• مُعَاصَرَة — contemporaneity
• إِمْكَان — possibility
• لِقِيّ — meeting
• لِقَاء — meeting
• أَوَّل — beginning
• إِنْكَار — denial
• عَجِيب — strange
• صَوَاب — correctness
• ثُبُوت — proof
• عَالِم — scholar
• سِيَاق — context
• أَحْسَن — better
• شَاهِد — witness
• مُتَابَعَة — follow-up
• مَكَان — place
• وَاحِد — one
• صِنَاعَة — craft
• أَفْضَل — best
• صِحَّة — authenticity
• قَوْم — people
• حُسْن — goodness
• أَهْل — people
• شَيْخ — sheikh
• يَقِينِيّ — certain
• عَقْل — intellect
• نَظَر — view
• نَبِيّ — prophet
• فَائِدَة — benefit
• أَحَد — one
• مَدَار — axis
• إِسْلَام — Islam
• عَمَل — deed
• أَمْر — matter
• رَدّ — rejection
• عُمْدَة — pillar