The mosque for the morals of the narrator and the manners of the listener 2/1

Book specifications: Author's name: Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Ali bin Thabit bin Ahmad bin Mahdi Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi. Number of volumes: 2. Number of pages of the book: 783 pages. Subject of the book: Science of Hadith. Contents of the book: The book contains: Chapter on intention in seeking Hadith; a student of Hadith must sincerely intend in his pursuit, and his purpose should be for the sake of Allah, the Most High. Chapter on what the narrator and listener should distinguish from noble morals; mention what is obligatory for the student of Hadith regarding professionalism for the needy and earning lawful (halal) if the student has dependents who have no breadwinner other than him; it is disliked for him to cut off his livelihood and busy himself with Hadith for their sustenance, and the basis for this is the preference for the student to remain single and leave marriage, as it is recommended for the student of Hadith to remain unmarried if possible, so that he is not distracted by the rights of his wife and concern for livelihood from seeking knowledge. Chapter on what should be prioritized over Hadith; the student should begin by memorizing the Book of Allah, the Most High, as it is the greatest of sciences and the most deserving of precedence and priority. Chapter on the high chains of narration; if Allah, the Almighty, intends for a person to hear Hadith and he has the intention to pursue it, he should pray to Allah for success and assistance, then hasten to listen and be diligent in doing so without delay or hesitation. From those who suffice with the lower narration while the one who narrated it is present; from those who heard a lower Hadith and sought it higher; from those who praise the high and criticize the low; choosing to descend from trustworthy narrators over the high from untrustworthy ones. Chapter on selecting teachers when their descriptions differ; the ranks of narrators are not equal in knowledge, so the narration from the one with a higher chain should be prioritized. If chains are equal among several teachers, the student should choose to listen from the most famous among them. Mention who should be avoided in narration; scholars agree that listening from someone proven to be corrupt is not permissible, and corruption is proven by many reasons not specific to Hadith; among these, if someone fabricates the texts of Hadith or their chains, it is considered a fundamental search. Testing the narrator by asking about the time he heard the Hadith; testing by asking about the description of the person he narrated from; testing by asking about the place where he heard it; if he lies about his teacher, contrary to what is preserved about him; testing the narrator by changing the Hadith and inserting it into him. Avoid listening from people with deviant sects and innovations; avoid listening from those who do not know the rulings of narration, even if they are known for righteousness and worship. Dislike listening from the weak if the narrator’s hearing is correct but he is lax in narration and known for negligence; listening from him is permissible but disliked, and his condition is weakened by what has been mentioned. Chapter on manners of seeking knowledge; the student of Hadith should distinguish himself in most matters from the customs of the people by using the actions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, as much as he can, and applying the Sunnah to himself, for Allah, the Most High, says: "Indeed, you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example." Early to the gatherings of Hadith; the student should walk steadily without haste; tighten his clothes and appearance modestly; use good manners and proper conduct; observe etiquette of seeking permission from the Muhaddith. How to stand at the door of the Muhaddith for permission: if the door of the Muhaddith’s house is open, the student should stand nearby and seek permission; knocking and its manner; the phrase of seeking permission and introducing oneself; the virtue of greeting with peace and raising the voice slightly when doing so; in Persian, if the student seeks permission, he should wait where he is and where to sit; the end of seeking permission is three, and after that, turn away if not permitted. Proper manners for entering the Muhaddith: it is not permissible to enter without permission; whoever does so should be ordered to leave and seek permission as a discipline for the future. Prioritizing elders in entering; dislike for greeting the private guests when entering upon the narrator if there are many present, he should greet them all; it is recommended to walk barefoot on the carpet, and it is preferred that the student remove his sandals before walking on the carpet, as it may contain dirt, and this is also humility and good manners. Sitting where the gathering ends; prohibition of standing and sitting in the middle of the circle or in front of it; dislike for sitting between two persons without their permission; dislike for sitting in a place where someone has stood up and wants to return to the gathering; it is recommended for the student to greet the people of the gathering if he intends to leave before them; respecting the Muhaddith and honoring him; the student’s reverence for the Muhaddith; the respect of the gathering of Hadith; the etiquette of listening: first, the student must be silent and attentive to listen to what the Muhaddith narrates; repeat what he understood, and ask for repetition of what he heard and knew, as this may irritate the elders. Etiquette of asking the Muhaddith: the scholars’ opinions about narration differ; some start with asking without asking questions; specify the particular Hadith being asked about; dislike boring the elders if the Muhaddith answers and talks with the student, he should take from him forgiveness and not be annoyed. Whoever irritates the people of Hadith by criticizing them, he is free to criticize them. Be gentle with the Muhaddith and tolerate his anger. What the narrator should ask about his own Hadith, from other Muhaddithin, is deliberately narrating a difficult or weak Hadith. The manner of preserving the Muhaddith: repeating the Hadith during narration to help memorize it; memorizing the Hadith after memorization to reinforce it; if no one to review with, keep repeating the Hadith to oneself and in the heart. The encouragement to borrow books of Hadith and condemn those who are stingy or refuse; dislike for withholding borrowed books from their owners; and what is related to the prompt return of borrowed books to their owners; gratitude of the borrower to the lender. Writing down Hadith in books, and related manners: copying tools, ink, pen; the pen should not be dull or hard, as this prevents swift writing, nor too soft, as it hinders speed; use a smooth stick, with a widened opening and a long, narrow tip; the knife should only be used to sharpen the pen, with a thin, sharp blade, pure iron, and described by Hasan bin Wahb who gifted him a knife. Ink and paper: it is preferred that the ink be shiny and flowing, and the paper pure and clear. Improving handwriting and its beautification: thick handwriting is preferred, and fine handwriting is disliked; choose accuracy over difficulty and embellishment. When beginning to write, start with "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," in every book of knowledge; if the book is poetry, opinions differ on how to write "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." Writing the name of the narrator in the transmitted text and naming those who heard his narration: after the phrase, the student should write the name of the sheikh from whom he heard the book, his nickname, his lineage, and what should be written: "Narrated to us Abu Flan, Flan son of Flan son of Flan, the so-and-so," and mention what he heard from the sheikh exactly as it was heard. Careful spelling of names and avoiding confusion or misinterpretation in the narrators’ names and lineages, as some names and lineages are similar in handwriting but differ in pronunciation, such as Bashar and Basir, Bared and Bared, Bared and Zaid, Iyash and Abbas, Hayan and Hiban, Hiban and Hanan, Ubaidah and Ubaidah, etc., which are difficult to distinguish. Sending prayers upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, whenever his name is mentioned, and invoking mercy upon the companions, may Allah be pleased with them. When the student reaches the mention of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the chain of narration, it is recommended to pray for him aloud; similarly, in every Hadith that mentions him, peace be upon him. What is recommended in the narration: reciting a chapter from the Qur'an before starting to write; when the student says to the Muhaddith, after praying upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, he should turn to the Muhaddith and ask: "Who narrated to you?" or "Who mentioned you? May Allah have mercy on you." The Muhaddith’s reply: "Narrated to us so-and-so," and he should mention his teacher’s name until the chain reaches the highest level. Limiting to just the name, lineage, or just the nickname or title; some Muhaddithin restrict narration to their names only, as their affairs are not complicated, and their status in knowledge is well known, such as Ayyub bin Abi Tamimah Al-Sakhtiyani, Younes bin Ubaid, Saeed bin Abi Arubah, Hisham bin Abi, and others. The titles of scholars often overshadow their names, so people only mention their titles in narration to avoid confusion and because they are well known. Among them: Abu Al-Zinad (Abdullah bin Zakwan), who was nicknamed Abu Al-Zinad, and it became his primary name; Abu Busr, who was called "Tafaddul" (kindness) for asking the Muhaddith about his name and lineage. The relation of the Muhaddith to his mother: if the narrator is known by his mother’s name, which is common, he can be attributed to her, such as Ibn Bahina (Abdullah bin Malik bin Al-Qashb Al-Usari), and his mother is Bahina, daughter of Al-Harith bin Al-Mutalib bin Abdul Manaf. Abdullah bin Um Maktum, the blind, is: Abdullah bin Amr bin Sharih bin Qais. Recognition of the Muhaddith’s defects, such as blindness, squint, etc., is agreed upon that it is permissible to mention the sheikh and describe him with qualities that are not defects in his creation, such as height, eye color, complexion, redness, yellowness, or other traits that do not relate to smallness or largeness, narrowness or wideness. The narration about the long and short of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is also permissible. The narration about the stories of the prophets in the Qur'an; the obligation to use truth in presenting the knowledge, and to prefer it over other matters and conditions. The narration of the stories of the Children of Israel, transmitted from the People of the Book, is disliked. Reciting the virtues and merits of the companions, and spreading their good deeds and precedents; Allah, the Most High, chose helpers for His Prophet, making them the best of creation, the most faithful in belief, strengthening the religion, and supporting the word of the believers, and rewarding them greatly, and commanding the people of the faith to speak well of them. The Shiites oppose Allah’s command concerning them. The speech of the Muhaddith about Hadith and describing it as authentic, sound, and other attributes and qualities; it is recommended for the narrator to highlight the virtue of what he narrates and clarify meanings that only the preservers like him and his peers understand. If the Hadith is graded as high or varying levels of authenticity, this should be described accordingly. Dislike for boring the listener with lengthy narration; irritation caused by long narration and excessive repetition; the Muhaddith should not prolong his gathering but keep it moderate, avoiding boredom and fatigue among the listeners, which could lead to their disinterest and laziness. Abu Al-Abbas Muhammad bin Yazid Al-Mubarrad, as I heard from him, said: "The most complete ending of a gathering is with stories, good anecdotes, and poetry." It is recommended to conclude the gathering with seeking forgiveness and praising Allah for His blessings. The written gathering and its perfection, correcting what has been corrupted by the pen’s deviation and tyranny; it is customary to dislike repeating past gatherings or redoing them if it was impossible to catch up through authorization. It is common to dislike repeating or redoing past gatherings, especially if they were missed, until some poets addressed a heavy person, saying: "The form of authorization was presented to Abu Al-Hassan bin Rizqawi in a paper with the names of some who asked him for authorization because he was blind, and he ordered me to write their names below and recited to me: 'I have authorized each person mentioned in this paper to narrate from my book all that he loves to narrate from me of other sciences, provided it is authentic and correct.'" The competition in Hadith among students and hiding some from each other to avoid benefiting others; the necessity of mutual advice in narrating and mentioning benefits among students; the discussion of selecting and choosing Hadith for those unable to write it properly and comprehensively. The calligraphy of the Hafiz (scholar) on what he chooses should be kept away from excessive selection; the person who selects should aim to choose authentic chains, clear routes, sound Hadith, and straight narrations, and not waste time chasing falsehoods, fabrications, and strange or rejected narrations. Remember what the scholars must clarify about the condition of liars and their denunciation, and report their affairs to the rulers if the narrator’s method raises suspicion or shows signs of suspicion among scholars. It is necessary for knowledgeable people to clarify his matter, reveal his condition, and praise him to prevent reliance on him, even if it is not certain who can be described as reliable or trustworthy. The description of a narrator as a Hafiz (memorizers) is exclusive to the people of Hadith and their critics; it is a characteristic they use, and no one else is described with it because the narrator says: "So-and-so is a Hafiz," which is good if used among them, as it describes scholars of transmission and their critics. Do not mention some news about those described as excessive in books of Hadith and hearing. We have already stated that Hafiz (memorizer) is the highest rank of Hadith, the noblest of the stations of narration, the most exalted, and the most noble of the virtue and the existence of those who truly possess it. This does not prevent seeking and pursuing it. The chapter on the proper way of writing books of Hadith in its general form and the need for that in gathering various sciences: from the beginning, the student must be intensely eager to listen and hasten to it, and to stay close to scholars. As for the authentic Hadiths attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him, they are the foundation of the Sharia; from them, rulings are derived, and those with authentic chains of narration and just narrators are accepted and obligatory to act upon. Those who reject them are sinful. The Hadiths that are stopped at the companions are considered by many jurists to be equivalent to those that are attributed directly to the Prophet, peace be upon him, in terms of obligation to act upon them and prioritizing them over analogy and attaching them to the Sunnah. The Mursal Hadiths (those missing the companion or chain of narrators) are also considered by some scholars to be equivalent to connected ones in acceptance and action. Those who do not see them as such are considered critics of the narrations and should record them for consideration and not use them as a basis for other rulings. The Maqtu‘ (stopped) Hadiths are those stopped at the Tabi‘in (successors), and their narration must be written and examined to choose from their sayings and not deviate from their doctrines. As for weak Hadiths and those whose narration is not reliable, they are written for recognition and should not be turned into authentic narrations; they should not be relied upon as evidence. The narrations of the interpreters (Tafsir) and those related to the biographies of the Prophet’s companions, concerning the Prophet’s campaigns, and many rulings should be written and preserved. The letters of the Qira’at (recitations) and the poetry of early scholars, including rare judgments, proverbs, examples, and evidences for interpretation and allegories, are considered the poetry of the Arabs, their language, and speech styles, and should be written for necessity. The histories and the scholars’ statements on criticism and modification, since most rulings can only be known through transmission, require examining the condition of narrators and investigating their justice; if their justice is established, their narration is permissible; otherwise, it should be abandoned, and the judgment should be sought from other sources, as the reports are like testimonies—they are not Hadith from Yaqub bin Sufyan Al-Fasawi. Repeating Hadiths, different chains, and what does not require a chain of narration: all these are lacking in chain support, so if their chains are omitted and only the words are relied upon, their matter becomes invalid, and their ruling is not established because connected chains are a condition for their authenticity and obligatory to act upon. Listening to a single Hadith from a group of scholars: if one hears a Hadith from some teachers, he suffices with that and does not need to hear from others, believing that gaining from what he did not hear is better. This is narrated from the early scholars, such as Ismail bin Alaya. Writing from peers; writing from senior scholars about juniors: some say, write from everyone. Increasing the number of teachers; traveling to distant lands to meet scholars and obtain high chains of narration. The purpose of traveling in Hadith is twofold: first, to attain high chain and early hearing; second, to meet scholars, discuss with them, and benefit from them. If both are present in the student’s hometown, he should not travel. Asking parents’ permission for travel; mentioning some obligatory obedience and kindness to parents, and leaving travel if they dislike it or are angry; those who prevent travel due to fulfilling the rights of the wife; those who prevent travel due to financial inability; seeking companionship before traveling; Istikhara (guidance prayer) for travel; the day chosen for departure; bidding farewell to friends and acquaintances: the student should not leave except after bidding farewell and praying for them. It is said when parting: what should be used in companionship: good manners and pleasant cooperation. The saying upon arriving in the destination country: the student should return to his homeland and choose to stay there if he has achieved his goal of hearing high chains and gaining benefits from scholars. Chapter on preserving Hadith, insight into it, and careful examination of its types and categories: when the student settles in his home after traveling or expatriation, he should review what he has written and reflect on what he sought. Encouragement to memorize Hadith: those who describe themselves as memorized; knowledge of Hadith is not just reception but a knowledge Allah instills in the heart, similar to the knowledge of morphology and the critique of dinars and dirhams, which is known by their color, touch, softness, Dross, or markings, not by smallness or largeness, narrowness or wideness. The reasons for aid in memorizing Hadith: the student’s intention should be for the sake of Allah, and to advise Muslims through clarification and explanation; supplication for the preservation of the Qur'an, Hadith, and sciences; the recommended foods and those to avoid for memorization: the student should dedicate himself to studying Hadith at night, continuously reviewing what he has memorized, repeating it to the heart, and reviewing with others, students, peers, and teachers. The importance of reviewing and discussing Hadith with people, avoiding boredom and fatigue. The chapter on clarifying and emphasizing the virtue of compilation and classification of Hadith: describing the two methods scholars use to classify Hadith—either by compiling Sunnahs and extracting rulings according to jurisprudence, or by arranging them in connected chains and combining the narrations of each companion. Those who choose the first method should compile the Hadiths of each type according to the chain of transmission, authenticating the chapters. The most authentic routes of Sunnah are those narrated by the people of the Two Holy Mosques (Mecca and Medina), as their slight deception and lying are rare, and fabricating Hadiths among them is rare. Recognizing the scholars who narrate judgmental and jurisprudential Hadiths; those whose Hadiths revolve around jurisprudence chapters. Arranging Sunnah on the connected chains: we have explained the method of extracting rulings; the other method is arranging on the connected chains, starting with the order of the companions’ narrations. The choice in arranging the chains: either by arranging the names of the companions alphabetically, starting with Abu al-Khattab and Usama bin Zaid, or by tribes, starting with Banu Hashim, then closest to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Recognizing the scholars who narrate chains: explaining the defects of the connected chains; it is recommended to compile the connected chains with explanations of their defects, as knowing the defects is among the highest sciences of Hadith. Listing the scholars who are concerned with collecting their Hadiths; compiling biographies and including biographies that relate to the books of the sheikhs mentioned earlier, such as Malik’s narration from Nafi’ about Ibn Umar, and others. Gathering all chapters and creating separate chapters from the large books on jurisprudence, and from the Muwatta of the companions, such as: the chapter on seeing Allah, the Almighty, in the Hereafter; the chapter on intercession; the chapter on wiping over the leather socks; the chapter on intention in acts of worship; the chapter on raising the hands in prayer; the chapter on reciting behind the Imam; these are titles of books that preceded and are recommended for the author of Hadith to follow. It is also recommended to stop narrating at old age to avoid loss of memory and decline of mental capacity.