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

إِنَّ هَذَا الْعِلْمَ دِينٌ فَانْظُرُوا عَمَّنْ تَأْخُذُونَ دِينَكُمْ  

‘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’.  

لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَسْأَلُونَ عَنِ الإِسْنَادِ فَلَمَّا وَقَعَتِ الْفِتْنَةُ قَالُوا سَمُّوا لَنَا رِجَالَكُمْ فَيُنْظَرُ إِلَى أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ فَيُؤْخَذُ حَدِيثُهُمْ وَيُنْظَرُ إِلَى أَهْلِ الْبِدَعِ فَلاَ يُؤْخَذُ حَدِيثُهُمْ  

‘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.’  

لَقِيتُ طَاوُسًا فَقُلْتُ حَدَّثَنِي فُلاَنٌ كَيْتَ وَكَيْتَ قَالَ إِنْ كَانَ صَاحِبُكَ مَلِيًّا فَخُذْ عَنْهُ  

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

قُلْتُ لِطَاوُسٍ إِنَّ فُلاَنًا حَدَّثَنِي بِكَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ إِنْ كَانَ صَاحِبُكَ مَلِيًّا فَخُذْ عَنْهُ  

‘I met one hundred [transmitters] 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’.’  

أَدْرَكْتُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ مِائَةً كُلُّهُمْ مَأْمُونٌ مَا يُؤْخَذُ عَنْهُمُ الْحَدِيثُ يُقَالُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ  

‘There is to be no narrating on authority of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah send blessings and peace upon him, except by trustworthy narrators (Thiqāt)’.  

لاَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلاَّ الثِّقَاتُ  

I heard ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak say: ‘The chain of narration is from the Dīn, and were it not for the chain of narration whoever wished could say what he wanted’.  

«الإِسْنَادُ مِنَ الدِّينِ وَلَوْلاَ الإِسْنَادُ لَقَالَ مَنْ شَاءَ مَا شَاءَ۔»  

Between us and the people are ‘the legs’.  

(بَيْنَنا وبَيْنَ القَوْمِ القَوائِمُ) يَعْنِي الإسْنادَ  

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 [Ibn al-Mubārak] said: ‘Oh Abā Ishāq! On whose authority is this?’ I said to him: ‘This is a Ḥadīth from Shihāb bin Khirāsh’. [Ibn al-Mubārak] said: ‘[He is] trustworthy. On whose authority [did he transmit]?’ I said: ‘on authority of al-Hajjāj bin Dīnār’. [Ibn al-Mubārak] said: ‘[He is] trustworthy. On whose authority [did he transmit]?’ I said: ‘He [al-Hajjāj said] the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah upon him, said…’ [Ibn al-Mubārak] said: ‘Oh Abū Ishāq! Indeed between al-Hajjāj bin Dīnār and the Prophet ﷺ is a wilderness in which the necks of the mounts are severed, however, there is no difference of opinion regarding charity [offered on behalf of one’s parents]’.  

قُلْتُ لِعَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ المُبارَكِ يا أبا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ: الحَدِيثُ الَّذِي جاءَ «إنَّ مِنَ البِرِّ بَعْدَ البِرِّ أنْ تُصَلِّيَ لِأبَوَيْكَ مَعَ صَلاتِكَ وتَصُومَ لَهُما مَعَ صَوْمِكَ». قالَ: فَقالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ: يا أبا إسْحاقَ عَمَّنْ هَذا؟ قالَ: قُلْتُ لَهُ: هَذا مِن حَدِيثِ شِهابِ بْنِ خِراشٍ فَقالَ: ثِقَةٌ عَمَّنْ قالَ؟ قُلْتُ: عَنِ الحَجّاجِ بْنِ دِينارٍ قالَ: ثِقَةٌ۔ عَمَّنْ قالَ؟ " قُلْتُ: قالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ. قالَ: يا أبا إسْحاقَ إنَّ بَيْنَ الحَجّاجِ بْنِ دِينارٍ وبَيْنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَفاوِزَ تَنْقَطِعُ فِيها أعْناقُ المَطِيِّ ولَكِنْ لَيْسَ فِي الصَّدَقَةِ اخْتِلافٌ۔