Does the presence of the Hadith "No marriage except with a guardian (wali)" in Imam Al-Shafi'i's book "Al-Umm," narrated from Wakee' from Sufyan from Salamah from Mu'awiyah, who read it in his father's book from Ali, affect Imam Al-Bayhaqi's authentication of the same Hadith which he narrated from Ali? And is what is found in a scroll left by a Companion for a trustworthy son considered a flaw in the Hadith's authenticity, or is it conditioned upon the wording "he narrated to me"? And does Imam Ahmad's statement, "This is among the most authentic of what was narrated from Ali concerning this, and it has corroborating narrations," constitute an authentication of the Hadith or merely a strengthening of it?
The summary answered that Imam Al-Bayhaqi's authentication of the hadith is based on the validity of the narration through al-wijada (discovery from a written source) according to him, which is accepted by most later scholars and many early scholars. It also clarified that the phrase "Ahmad said" refers to Al-Bayhaqi himself (Ahmad ibn Al-Husayn Al-Bayhaqi), and not to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Furthermore, it stated that Al-Bayhaqi's saying: "This is the soundest narration reported from Ali concerning this matter" does not necessarily mean the hadith is sahih (authentic), but rather indicates its preference and strength, and that Al-Bayhaqi explicitly authenticated the isnad (chain of narration) of the hadith. It was also pointed out that the narration of Amr ibn Shu'ayb from his father from his grandfather is accepted and used as evidence by most scholars, and that the reason some scholars spoke negatively about it is because he narrated from his grandfather's scroll, not because it was from his father from his grandfather.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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