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Disseminating Knowledge on Friday before the Imam Ascends the Pulpit

Question

asalamu alakium dear scholars my question is what is the authenticity of the hadith cited with the number 1/358 in imam hakims book al mustadrak this is the hadith of abu hurayrah delivering a lecture before jummah prayers is it saheeh hassan or daeef and what have the scholars in the past like imam dhahabi and contemporary scholars like albani and al Arnoot said about such hadeeth jazakallahu khyran

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

This tradition was narrated by Al-Hakim in his book Al-Mustadrak on the authority of ‘Asim ibn Muhamad ibn Zayd, narrating it on the authority of his father who said: “Abu Hurayrah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him used to stand next to the pulpit on Friday narrating the Hadiths ... and when he heard the sound of the cabin’s door indicating the arrival of the Imam, he sat down.” Al-Hakim said: “This Hadith is Sahih (authentic) and meets the conditions stipulated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, but narrated by others … the aim of the tradition is to highlight that it is recommended to narrate the Hadiths while standing on the pulpit before the Imam arrives.” [End of quote]

Adh-Dhahabi  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him commented on the tradition in his book At-Talhkees saying: “Its chain of narration is interrupted.” [End of quote]

Al-Hakim narrated it in another section of his book Al-Mustadrak, on the authority of another reporter, narrating it on the authority of ‘Asim ibn Muhamad, and commented on it saying: “Its chain of narration is authentic, but Al-Bukhari and Muslim did not narrate it.” [End of quote]

Adh-Dhahabi did not hold comment on it in this section.

We could not find the opinion of Al-Albani or Al-Arna’oot on its chain of narration.

There are other traditions reported on this topic and compiled byIbn Abu Shaybah in his Musanaf under the title, ‘Chapter on Narrating Hadiths on Friday before the Jum’ah Prayer.”
This is further attested by what Ibn Abu Shaybah narrated in his Musanaf on the authority of Mu’awiyah ibn Qurrah, who said: “I was contemporary with thirty people from the Muzaynah tribe … On Friday, they would perform Ghusl, put on their best clothes, wear perfume, go to the mosque, perform two Rak’ahs, and sit down to disseminate knowledge.

Allah knows best.

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