Studying textbook that might contain inauthentic ahaadeeth

13-12-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

I am preparing for css exams and the text book for Islamic studies contains various hadiths. The problem is that I do not know if those hadiths are authentic or not. My question is: can I learn from that book and answer the exam questions according to what it says?
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.

It appears – Allah knows best – that there is no harm on you in writing down these ahaadeeth, even if they are not authentic, because you are only reporting what is in the curriculum; you are just a reporter, and reporting falsehood does not necessarily mean that you approve it or confirm it. Therefore, the scholars said: The transmitter of disbelief is not a disbeliever. Ibn Muflih said in Al-Furoo', "A person who narrates a statement of disbelief that he heard and which he does not believe in does not become a disbeliever; perhaps this is the consensus (among the scholars)."

However, it is not permissible for you to act according to any of these ahaadeeth or believe in their content, except for those which are confirmed to be authentic.

If you can research the authenticity of these ahaadeeth and inform the people in charge about the ones that might need to be removed from the books, then that would be a good endeavor for which you would be rewarded, Allah willing.

Allah knows best.

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