Sahih Muslim

‘It is the case that you do not relate to the people a narration which their minds cannot grasp except that it becomes a Fitnah for some of them’.

‘There will be in the last of my nation a people narrating to you what you nor your fathers heard, so beware of them’.

‘There will be in the end of time charlatan liars coming to you with narrations that you nor your fathers heard, so beware of them lest they misguide you and cause you tribulations’.’

‘Indeed Satan will appear in the form of a man and he will come to the people, narrating to them false Ḥadīth, and they will then depart. Then a man among them will say: ‘I heard a man whose face I recognize but I do not know his name narrating …’

‘Indeed in the sea are devils chained up, whom Sulaymān shackled and they are at the point of emerging. Then they will recite a Qur’ān upon the people.’

‘Go back to such-and-such narration‘. Then , we abandoned listening to Ḥadīth from them’.

‘Indeed we would take Ḥadīth and they would be taken on authority of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. However if you take every difficult and docile !

‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, said…’, ‘the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, said…’. Then it seemed that Ibn Abbās was not listening to his Ḥadīth and not reflecting on them, so said: ‘Oh Ibn Abbās, why is it that I see you not listening to my Ḥadīth? I narrate to you on authority of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, however you are not listening’. Ibn Abbās said: ‘Indeed once upon a time we would listen to a man saying, ‘the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, said…’ rushing towards him with our eyes and harkening towards him with our ears; then when the people took the difficult and the docile we no longer took from people except those whom we knew’.

‘I wrote to Ibn Abbās asking him to write something said: ‘By Allah, Alī did not give judgment according to this unless he was astray’.’

‘A book was brought to Ibn Abbās which contained the verdicts of Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, and he effaced but a small amount,’ and Sufyān bin Uyaynah indicated with his arm .

‘When they narrated these things after Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, a man from the companions of Alī said: ‘May Allah curse them. Did they corrupt every knowledge!?’

‘There are no Ḥadīth on authority of Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, that are confirmed except from the companions of Abd Allah bin Mas’ūd.’

‘Indeed this knowledge is faith, so carefully consider from whom you take your faith’.

‘They would not ask about the chains of narration, and when the Fitnah occurred, they said: ‘Name for us your men’. So Ahl us-Sunnah would be regarded, and their Ḥadīth were then taken, and Ahl ul-Bi’dah would be regarded, and their Ḥadīth were not taken’.

‘I came across Tāwus and said: ‘So-and-so narrated to me such-and-such’. Then he said: ‘If your companion is trustworthy, then take from him.’

‘So-and-so narrated to me like this-and-that’. He said: ‘If your companion is trustworthy, then take from him.’

‘I met one hundred in al-Madīnah, each of whom were reliable. Narrations were not taken from one about who it was said, ‘he is not from its people’.’

‘There is to be no narrating on authority of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, except by trustworthy narrators (Thiqāt)’.

‘The chain of narration is from the Dīn, and were it not for the chain of narration whoever wished could say what he wanted’. Muhammad bin Abd Allah said, al-Abbās bin Abī Rizmah narrated to me, he said I heard Abd Allah saying: ‘Between us and the people are ‘the legs’ (meaning the chain of narration, i.e. if a Ḥadīth was like a creature)’. Muhammad said, I heard Abā Ishāq Ibrāhīm bin Īsā at-Tālqānī say, I said to Abd Allah bin al-Mubārak: ‘Oh Abā Abd ir-Rahman! How is the Ḥadīth which goes ‘Indeed from al-Birr after al-Birr is that you pray for your parents after you pray for yourself and you fast for them both after you fast for yourself’? So ’. Muhammad said, I heard Alī bin Shaqīq saying, I heard Abd Allah bin al-Mubārak saying in front of the people: ‘Abandon the Ḥadīth of Amr bin Thābit for indeed he would curse the Salaf ’.

‘I was sitting near al-Qāsim bin Ubayd Allah and Yahyā bin Sa’īd was quiet and did not respond to him’.