Hadith narrator Sa'id bin Khalid bin Abdullah bin Al-Qarid Al-Kinani Al-Madini was graded weak by An-Nasa'i but Thiqah by Ibn Hibban, Ad-Daraqutni and others. Please clarify his weakness as many of the scholars of Hadith have authenticated his narration from Sa'id bin Al-Musayyib concerning the killing of frogs for medicinal purposes.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

The scholars who cited the opinion of Imaam An-Nasaa’i about Sa‘eed ibn Khaalid Al-Qaarithi being a weak narrator, such as Al-Haafith Al-Mizzi in his book At-Tahtheeb and Imaam Ath-Thahabi in his book Al-Meezaan, did not mention the reason for that. In fact, An-Nasaa’i's declaring him weak is controversial since he is also quoted as declaring him Thiqah (trustworthy).

Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar cited in Tahtheeb At-Tahtheeb the statement of Al-Mizzi about An-Nasaa’i's declaring him weak, and added: “An-Nasaa’i declared him Thiqah in his book Al-Jarh wat-Ta‘deel; the other reported opinion that he declared him weak should be further investigated (and verified).”

Mughaltaai said in his book Ikmaal At-Tahtheeb: “An-Nasaa’i labeled him Thiqah in his book Al-Jarh wat-Ta‘deel. With regard to what Al-Mizzi cited from An-Nasaa’i as mentioned by the author of Al-Kamaal fi Asmaa' Ar-Rijaal that he is a weak reporter, I have not seen it in the Hadeeth collections of An-Nasaa’i that I know of." The opinion (of An-Nasaa’i) underlined in Al-Jarh wat-Ta‘deel was that he is Thiqah. A group of scholars cited this opinion from An-Nasaa’i, including ibn Khalfoon based on what he mentioned in his book Ath-Thiqaat. Also, it is stated in Al-Majrooheen by Ibn Hibbaan on the authority of Ya‘qoob ibn Is-haaq Al-Hadhrami that he (Sa‘eed ibn Khaalid) is Thiqah.”

Shaykh Al-Albaani also said that An-Nasaa’i labeled him Thiqah. He said regarding the Hadeeth about the prohibition on killing frogs, cited in As-Silsilah Adh-Dha‘eefah (no. 4788): “It was presented by An-Nasaa’i (2/202), Ahmad (3:453 & 499) and Ibn ‘Asaakir (10/23/1) on the authority of Sa‘eed ibn Khaalid from Sa‘eed ibn Al-Musayyib. I say: Its chain of narration is authentic; the narrators are those accepted by Al-Bukhari and Muslim except Sa‘eed ibn Khaalid Al-Qaarithi Al-Kinaani, and he is Thiqah as An-Nasaa’i and others have said.”

The wording of the Hadeeth is as follows: “‘Abd Ar-Rahmaan ibn ‘Uthmaan reported that a physician asked the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, about extracting medicine from a frog, and the Prophet forbade him from killing it.”

Allaah Knows best.