Question

Mr Ghamidi does not consider Imam Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri as reliable narrator of the Prophetic traditions. Yet he has quoted traditions in his book Mīzān (Buhkarī No: 7139) handed down by the same narrator. I wonder if you could explain this contradiction.

Answer

This narrative is presented in support of an established Qur’anic principle and not as something which gives an independent piece of information. In other words historical narratives which may have weak isnads but are in accordance with the Qur’an will be cited. However, if a narrative is against the Qur’an or Sunnah or established history or established norms of sense and reason, then questionable isnads will always add to the suspect nature of the narrative and hence become a further factor in rejecting such a narrative.

Answered by: Dr. Shehzad Saleem

Date: 2015-01-18