Some of the Famous Reciters Weak Narrators?! Imam al-Dhahabi

Abu ‘Umar Hafs al-Duri (died 246AH) was one of the great reciters of his time and one of the transmitters of the seven qiraa’aat, both for the qiraa’ah of Abu ‘Amr (al-Duri ‘an Abi ‘Amr) and al-Kisaa’i (al-Duri ‘an al-Kisaa’i). He was also a hadith narrator and a contemporary of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Imam Ahmad relayed hadith from al-Duri. Despite this, the muhaddith al-Daraqutni graded al-Duri as dha’eef, or weak. In his biographical entry on al-Duri, Imam Shams al-Deen al-Dhahabi commented on this by writing:

وقول الدارقطني : ضعيف ، يريد في ضبط الآثار ، أما في القراءات فثبت إمام . وكذلك جماعة من القراء أثبات في القراءة دون الحديث ، كنافع ، والكسائي ، وحفص ; فإنهم نهضوا بأعباء الحروف وحرروها ، ولم يصنعوا ذلك في الحديث ، كما أن طائفة من الحفاظ أتقنوا الحديث ، ولم يحكموا القراءة . وكذا شأن كل من برز في فن ، ولم يعتن بما عداه . والله أعلم . ـ

"When al-Daraqutni said that al-Duri was dha’eef, he was referring to his precision in hadith narrations. However when it came to the qiraa’aat, then he was reliable and a leading figure.

This was also the case for a number of the famous reciters, that they were reliable narrators of a qiraa’ah but not of hadith. Examples include Naafi’, al-Kisaa’i, and Hafs. That is because they devoted themselves to the heavy task of the Qur’anic words with great care and precision, while they did not expend that same level of exertion regarding the hadith.

Likewise, there are a segment of the hadith experts who excel in hadith while not perfecting their recitation.

This is the way for anyone who excels in one area without focusing on other areas. And Allah knows best."

[Siyar A’laam al-Nubalaa’ 11/543]

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