The Classical Scholars Were Not Ignorant Of Ahadith

The Classical Scholars were not Ignorant of Ahaadith – علم الحديث

A man asked Imam Maalik:

وقال رجل لمالك: يا أبا عبد الله هل عرفتم حديث ” البيعان بالخيار” ؟
قال له-أي مالك-:نعم، وأنت تلعب مع الصبيان في البقيع.
“Are you aware of ‘such and such’ Hadith?”
Imam Maalik replied: “Yes , I was aware of it, when you were still playing in the kindergarten.”

[“Intisar al-Faqir al-Salik”, 225].

There have appeared some people, who think the great scholars of the past were ignorant.

They are quick to say: “this Hadith didn’t reach them!!”

They were most likely aware of it, but maybe believed these Ahadith were abrograted, or they understood them differently because they had different Usool/methodologies, etc.

Even in rare cases if a Hadith hadn’t reached the Imam, it’s not a problem because the 4 Madhabs have been worked on for 1,000+ years by MILLIONS of scholars.

The Madhab is not based on the words of the founder only.

A man asked Ibn Maajishoon:

القاضي عياض في “ترتيب المدارك” (1/45) عن ابن الماجشون أحد أكابر علماء المالكية ، فقال :” قال ابن المعذَّل : سمعت إنساناً سأل ابن الماجشون : لمَ رويتم الحديث ثم تركتموه؟ قال: ليُعْلَم أنا على علم تركناه
“Why did you narrate a Hadith and then not act on it?”
Ibn Maajishoon said: “To teach people that we were aware of them and did not act on them based on knowledge.”

[“Tartib al-Madarik”, 1/45].