1. Ibn hajr is of the opinion that weak narrations can be used in Fazail A’mal.
a. He states (on page 11-12): “First we will briefly answer the objections by stating that, none of the hadiths that he (Hafiz E’raqi) mentioned are concerning ahkaam, halal and haram, and to mention them without notifying their status is permissible (or widespread). It has been established from Imam Ahmed and other muhadditheen that they have said: ‘When we narrate in halal and haram then we are strict, but when we narrate in (فضائل) virtues etc. then we are lenient.’ And this is the case of these hadiths.
As for the first hadith, part of it concerns virtues of basmalah, it also has prophecies of upcoming events. This is why it has been mentioned in “Dalaailun Nubuwwah” (Evidences of Prophet-hood). The second hadith is like the third concerning fadhaail. The fourth is encouragement in generosity, charity, joining ties and looking after ones neighbors. The fifth and sixth is about the virtues of a long life in Islam. The seventh has the possibility of explanation and it is a relative issue. The eight like the ninth concerns the virtues of cities and in them is encouragement to guard the Muslim territories and jihad.”
b. On page 32 he states: “And the method of Imam Ahmed is known concerning leniency in narrating ahadith of virtues.”
2. It is known that Ismail ibn A’yyaash is reliable when he narrates from Shamiyeen but weak when he narrates from others. Ibnul Jawzi & E’raqi misunderstood this and interpreted it as to mean Ibn A’yyaash became mukhtalit (senile) in his old age. (See page 5)
Hafiz Ibn Hajr refuted this and said: “I have brought all the criticisms of the earlier muhadditheen concerning Ibn A’yyaash in my book ‘Tahzeebut Tahzeeb’ but I did not find any of them accusing him of becoming mukhtalit. Rather they criticized his weak memory in hadith when he narrates from Non-Shami narrators. So it is as though when he traveled to Hijaz and Iraq he depended on his memory, therefore he made mistakes in (narrating) ahadith from them.” (Pg. 13)
3. Ibnul Jawzi claimed concerning a hadith that ‘this is false and it is fabricated’, simply because it apparently contradicted a hadith of the two saheehs (Bukhari & Muslim).
Hafiz Ibn Hajr refuted this by stating: “This is tantamount to rejecting authentic hadiths simply on assumption. One should not hasten in grading a hadith as fabricated unless it is impossible to reconcile. However, if you are unable to reconcile the two at the moment it does not mean that it is impossible because there is always someone above the next person in knowledge. The most cautious method in such situations is that one should not grade the hadith as fabricated rather he should wait until a reconciliation becomes apparent to another scholar other than himself.” (Pg. 17)
