How do we understand the contradiction between the hadiths that permit glorifying God with date pits and pebbles and those that indicate the Prophet’s disapproval of Juwayriyah’s use of them? And is the hadith of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas sound or weak?

In summary: Scholars have differed on authenticating or weakening the narrations regarding the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, confirming some of the Mothers of the Believers in counting glorifications with date pits. These narrations are:

1. The Hadith of Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her): Al-Tirmidhi and Al-Albani weakened it due to the presence of "Hashim bin Sa'id Al-Kufi," who is considered weak. However, Ali Al-Qari and Ibn Hajar deemed it hasan (good) based on its various chains of narration, considering it a sound basis for permitting the use of the subhah (prayer beads).

2. The Hadith of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him): Al-Albani weakened it due to the anonymity of "Khuzaymah" or a break in the chain of narration. However, Ibn Hajar and Al-Mundhiri authenticated it, considering its narrators to be those of sound collections, with the exception of Khuzaymah.

As for the ruling on using the subhah, the differing views of scholars have already been explained. In cases where scholars differ on the authenticity of a hadith, a Muslim qualified for research should exert effort in ijtihad. Otherwise, they should consult trustworthy scholars. If a matter is subject to ijtihad, it should not be a cause for contention.