He then falls into an error concerning it, without intentionally telling a lie.

He then falls into an error concerning it, without intentionally telling a lie. Now this (tradition) is with him; he professes it, acts according to it, and relates it to others and says: I heard it from the Messenger of Allah. If people knew that this was a mistake, they would not accept it, and if he himself knew that it was an error, he would certainly have cast it off. The third is the man who hears the Prophet commanding a certain act, which, unknown to him, was later forbidden.

Or (he hears the Prophet) forbidding an act, which was later, unknown to him, permitted. Hence he remembers the abrogated, but not the abrogating (command). Now if he knew that it was abrogated, he would surely have rejected it; and similarly if the people knew that what was heard from the relator was an abrogated command, they too would surely have rejected it.

The fourth is the man who does not give the lie to Allah and His Prophet, because he hates falsehood and fears Allah the Mighty and Glorious, and honors the Messenger of Allah. He does not forget it, but commits to memory precisely what he hears. So he brings forward what he has heard, without any increase or decrease. If he knew the abrogating and the abrogated (command), he would act in accordance with the abrogating and would reject the abrogated (injunction).

Now the commands of the Prophet, like those of the Qur'an, are abrogating (nasikh) a nd abrogated (mansukh), special (khass) and general ( 'am), definite (muhkam) and ambiguous (mutashabih). And there may be words related from the Prophet bearing two meanings, a general and a particular one, exactly as in the case of the Qur'an. Allah the Mighty and Glorious says in His Book: “And whatsoever the Messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it)” (Qur'an 59:7) .

Now what Allah and His Messenger mean[^10]t remained ambiguous to those who did not know. Not all the of the Prophet questioned or tried to understand him, for among them were those who neither questioned, nor understood him**;**[^11] for Allah forbade them from questioning when He said: “O ye who believe! Ask not of things which, if they were made known to you, would trouble you; but if ye ask of them when the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be made known unto you.

Allah pardoneth this, for Allah is Forgiving, Clement. A folk before you asked (for such disclosures) and they disbelieved therein” (Qur'an 5:101-102) .