3648 — Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us, Abu Shihab narrated to us, from al-Hadhdha', from Abu al-Mutawakkil al-Naji, from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, who said: "We used not to write anything other than the tashahhud and the Qur'an."

3649 — Mu'ammal narrated to us, saying: al-Walid narrated to us, and al-'Abbas ibn al-Walid ibn Mazyd narrated to us, saying: my father informed me, from al-Awza'i, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, who said: Abu Salama — meaning Ibn 'Abd al-Rahman — narrated to us, saying:
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= And it was said to 'Ali: "Did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, single you out with anything?" He said: "No, by Him who split the grain and created the soul, except what is in this scroll," and in it were the blood-wits, the ransoming of the captive, and that a Muslim is not to be killed for a disbeliever.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, only forbade writing other than the Qur'an at the beginning of Islam lest the Qur'an become mixed with other than it. When the Qur'an became known and distinguished, and was singled out for recording and memorization, and the corruption of mixing was no longer feared for it, permission was given for writing.

Some have said: the prohibition was only for a specific kind of writing, namely combining the writing of hadith and the Qur'an in a single scroll for fear of confusion, and some of the Salaf disliked writing absolutely.

And some permitted it until one memorized, and when one had memorized, one erased it.

Agreement has been reached on the permissibility of writing and preserving it, and were it not for writing, nothing of the Sunnah would be in our hands today except the very least.

And al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in "al-Fath" 1/204: "The matter has been settled, and consensus has been established on the permissibility of writing knowledge — rather, on its recommendation — indeed, it is not far from being obligatory for one who fears forgetfulness and upon whom the transmission of knowledge is incumbent."

(1) Its chain is authentic. Abu al-Mutawakkil al-Naji: he is 'Ali ibn Dawud, and al-Hadhdha': he is Khalid ibn Mihran, and Abu Shihab: he is 'Abd Rabbih ibn Nafi' al-Kinani al-Hannat.

And al-Khatib narrated it in "Taqyid al-'Ilm" p. 93, and Abu Isma'il al-Harawi in "Dhamm al-Kalam" (590) via two paths from Khalid al-Hadhdha', from him.

See the meaning of this hadith at the hadith preceding it.

Note: This report we have established from "Tuhfat al-Ashraf" (4258), and al-Hafiz al-Mizzi indicated there that it is in the narration of Abu al-Hasan ibn al-'Abd, and Abu al-Qasim did not mention it.