151 Al-Batliyosi is reported to have said...

151 Al-Batliyosi is reported to have said: Know that the hadith transmitted from the Messenger of Allah (may God’s peace and benediction be upon him and his Progeny) and from his and their followers, is inflicted with eight defects: First: Corruption in isnad (chain). Second: In respect of narration of hadith according to its meaning with ignoring its wording. Third: Ignorance of grammatical syntax. Fourth: In respect of tashif (misconstruction).

Fifth: Deleting something from the hadith without which the meaning can never be perfect. Sixth: The narrator’s reporting the hadith with neglecting to convey the reason necessitating it, or explain the case entailing its citation. Seventh: The narrator hearing a part of the hadith and missing some other part. Eighth: Reporting the hadith from books without mentioning names of the shaykhs (authors). 152 First Defect: It is corruption in isnad (chain of narrators).

This being the most widely-known defect among people, to the extent that some of them may imagine 153 that when isnad be correct, the hadith be veracious! But the truth is not so, since it may happen that the hadith narrators be known of reliability and true faith and honesty, without being liable to any defamation or suspicion in regard of their transmission. Despite all this, their traditions may be indeliberately inflicted with miscellaneous accidents.

And the isnad may be afflicted with corruption in several aspects, of which are: Irsal and absence of succession. Or that some of the hadith narrators being among heretics, or accused of falsity and dishonesty, or known of being idiot and negligent, or be fanatic to some of the , averse to others.

So in case of being widely-known of being fanatic, reporting then a hadith regarding preference of those whom he was siding, without being reported through any other chain, he should be viewed with suspicion and doubt. Because extravagance in one’s fanaticism toward that of whom he is taking the part, and extremity in lovingness would lead him to invent and fabricate the hadith, or if not fabricating he may alter it and change some of its words.

That which prompts one to doubt the transmission of the narrator is being sure of his covetousness to the world and rushing into attaining favoritism near the kings. Anyone being on this condition, shall never be immune against changing, alteration, fabrication of hadith and falsity covetting for gaining some (worldly) profit.