This hadith is reported by Ibn Mindah in Ma’rifat al-Sahabah...

This hadith is reported by Ibn Mindah in Ma’rifat al-Sahabah, and al-Tabarani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabir, on the authority of Abd Allah ibn Sulayman ibn Akimah al-Laythi as saying: I said: O Messenger of Allah, I hear hadith from you but be unable to convey it as I hear it as one letter may be added or one omitted from it (what to do!) He (S) said: “There is no harm in it if you do not legalize any unlawful act or prohibit that which is lawful, and when you hit the mark.” 123 Those forbidding riwayah by meaning argued by emphasizing on the text and rational aspect.

In respect of the text, it can be referred to his (S) hadith: “May God bless whoever hears my utterance and comprehends it, delivering it as he heard it. The propagator might be more conscious than the hearer. 124 In exposing it they said: Delivering it as he heard it is to deliver the same words heard.

And the faqih’s conveying the fiqh to that who is more knowledgeable than him, means – God is aware – that the more sagacious one may comprehend, thanks to his fiqh, some imports from the words to which the narrator couldn’t take notice of, since he (rawi) might be lower than him in degree of fiqh.

In regard of the rational, it has two views: First: When putting (hadith) to test we found that the latter (hearer) might have inferred some imports from a verse or a report to which some of the earlier ages ulama’ and researchers could not reach. Had we permitted narration by meaning a great difference might have appeared in the hadith, though the narrator be of the opinion that no divergence is there.

Second: Had the narrator been permitted to exchange any of the Messenger’s words with one of his own, it would have been permissible for that reporting from him to change that very word with one of his own.

Rather this is more preponderant, as changing the narrator’s words is nearer to be permitted than substituting any word uttered by the legislator (Prophet), though this being in the third and fourth classes (of narrators), as the result of all this shall be verily the devaluation of the original words. It is quite certain that man, can never secure himself against change and disagreement however sincerely he strived to be trustworthy and honest in making his narration identical to the origin.

Consequently, when changes and divergences continue from one to another, the last divergence would be so exorbitant that no connection or relation would be left between the last narration and original hadith.