Furthermore, the narrators found no trouble in misplacing the hadith words, bring some forwards and some backwards.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah is reported to have said: Hafs related to us on the authority of Ash’ath, as saying that al-Hasan and al-Shi’bi were disdaining from bringing forwards and backwards the expressions of the hadith.169
Jabir ibn Abd Allah quoted Abd Allah ibn Hudhayfah as saying: We are Arab people,...we cite the hadith with bringing forwards and backwards (its words).170
They exaggerated in doing a bad turn to the narration of hadith to the extent that one of the narrators daring to add some words to the hadith that can’t be found in another’s narration. They (narrators) even laid down a rule for this calling it: “addition from the memorizer is accepted.”
Notes:
169. Jami' bayan al-'ilm, vol.I, p.08.
170. This khabar is recorded also in Uyun al-akhbar, vol.III, p.136.
