Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAbdur-Raḥmān b. Yaḥyā al-Muʿallimī – raḥimahullāh – while discussing the issue of one scholar speaking against another, explained that it can be considered from two perspectives:
First Perspective
ما يخرج مخرج الذم بدون قصد الحكم
What comes in the form of mere censure, without the intent of issuing a ruling.
He cited as an example the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and other collections, narrated from Abū Hurayrah – raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu – that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
اللَّهُمَّ إنَّما مُحَمَّدٌ بَشَرٌ، يَغْضَبُ كما يَغْضَبُ البَشَرُ، وإنِّي قَدِ اتَّخَذْتُ عِنْدَكَ عَهْدًا لَنْ تُخْلِفَنِيهِ، فأيُّما مُؤْمِنٍ آذَيْتُهُ، أوْ سَبَبْتُهُ، أوْ جَلَدْتُهُ، فاجْعَلْها له كَفّارَةً، وقُرْبَةً، تُقَرِّبُهُ بها إلَيْكَ يَومَ القِيامَةِ.
'O Allāh, indeed Muhammad is but a human; he becomes angry just as humans become angry. I have taken a covenant with You that You will not break. So, whichever believer I may have harmed, insulted, or struck, then make it for him an expiation and a means of nearness to You on the Day of Resurrection.'
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was never abusive, insulting, or excessively cursing. And even when he became angry, it was always within the framework of the Sharīʿah.
Al-Imām al-Muʿallimī - rahimahullah - therefore advised students of knowledge to be cautious when they hear one scholar speaking against another, for it may have only occurred out of anger or some other passing circumstance.
He said:
“Making judgments about scholars and ḥadīth narrators requires much nadhar (careful consideration), tadabbur (reflection), and tathabbut (verification).”
He also quoted Iyās b. Muʿāwiyah as saying:
لا تنظر إلى عمل العالم ولكن سله يصدقك
Do not judge by the action of a scholar, but rather ask him, and he will clarify for you.
Thus, the casual words of a scholar, when not uttered in the context of knowledge, are to be treated like his actions – often disregarded.
Second Perspective
ما يصدر على وجه الحكم فهذا إنما يخشى فيه الخطأ
That which is issued in the form of a ruling – and in this there is the fear of error.
No scholar is immune from mistakes. Regardless of the level of his knowledge, he remains prone to error when judging other scholars.
According to al-Muʿallimī, this is because many rulings (aḥkām) are based on predominant assumption (ghalabat al-ẓann), which is itself subject to error and varies in strength. The acceptable form of ẓann is that which has a valid legal basis, such as a report from a trustworthy narrator (khabar al-thiqah).
However, some people are deceived by weak assumptions, and on that basis, they make firm but incorrect judgments about others.
At times, a scholar’s negative judgment may stem from anger toward another. For instance, al-Imām al-Nasāʾī was reported to have spoken harshly against al-Imām Aḥmad b. Ṣāliḥ.
As the proverb says:
عين السخط تبدي المساوئ
The eye of anger reveals only faults.
Hence, one must remain cautious, for human nature is often a source of bias.
It is also reported that al-Imām Shuʿbah was excessively harsh toward Abān b. Abī ʿAyyāsh, to the point that Ḥammād b. Salamah said:
“Abān is better than Shuʿbah.”
Thus, the science of al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl (criticism and accreditation of narrators) requires tathabbut (verification) and taʾammul (deep reflection).
For this reason, the statements of Abū Isḥāq al-Juzajānī against al-Aʿmash, and those of al-Imām Aḥmad against ʿUbaydullāh b. Mūsā, were not accepted.
Allāh knows best.
Abridged from al-Muʿallimī’s at-Tankīl (1/87–97) by Aboo Aamir
