The Light of Truth — Page 486
486 THE LIGHT OF TRUTH-PART TWO liar and thereby himself join the evil people! There can be no doubt that he built his endeavour on information and examination; therefore, reflect with justice and patience and be not of the deviant. How can the heart of a believer be so audacious as to consider the likes of him [Imam Dāraqutnī] among the people of immorality and transgression, to abuse a person of virtue and faith and to consider him a traitor and cause of disorder. The truth of the matter, which must be accepted, and the light that removes doubts upon its emergence, is that Dāraqutnī did not find anything among the narrators that could be attributed to defects, and observed the reputation of the hadith with his own eyes, so he took this eye-witnessing for two just witnesses. Now, if we were to suppose that Dāraquţnī considered the narra- tors of this hadith to be from among the wicked and yet recorded it without investigation like the godless fabricators, then this act would place him at the forefront of those who are disgraced by evil actions. It would prove that he was outside the realm of virtue and righteousness, and was in fact among the worst narrators, because he accepted the nar- ration of a person who was a deviant liar and a narrator of false reports; he would fabricate for those with errant beliefs; he was a deceiver, the greatest liar of his age, and a weaver of fabrications; and he was a rec- ognised and well-known maligned individual, as documented by the Ghaznavid author of Şiyānatul-Anās. So, what do you think? Do you consider Dāraqutnī to be an evil person, bereft of righteousness or religion? Moreover, know that the Trustworthy Quran does not prohibit us from accepting the testimony of the wicked. Rather, it states: إِنْ جَاءَ كُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَا فَتَبَيَّنُوا 1 1. If an unrighteous person brings you any news, ascertain the correctness of the report fully (Surah al-Hujurāt, 49:7). [Publisher]