The Sufficient (Vol 1) · Hadith 101 (#Ḥadīth #5)

5ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ رِبْعِيِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ لِلْعَالِمِ إِذَا سُئِلَ عَنْ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ لا يَعْلَمُهُ أَنْ يَقُولَ الله أَعْلَمُ وَلَيْسَ لِغَيْرِ الْعَالِمِ أَنْ يَقُولَ ذَلِكَ.

5. Muhammad ibn ‘Isma’il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Ri’ab‘i ibn ‘Abdallah from Muhammad ibn Muslim from abu ‘Abdallah who has said the following. “It is very proper for a scholar to say, ‘Allah knows best’ if he does not know. This is not for a none scholar.”

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).