The Sufficient (Vol 1) · Hadith 102 (#Ḥadīth #6)

6ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ حَرِيزِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ إِذَا سُئِلَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْكُمْ عَمَّا لا يَعْلَمُ فَلْيَقُلْ لا أَدْرِي وَلا يَقُلْ الله أَعْلَمُ فَيُوقِعَ فِي قَلْبِ صَاحِبِهِ شَكّاً وَإِذَا قَالَ الْمَسْئُولُ لا أَدْرِي فَلا يَتَّهِمُهُ السَّائِلُ.

6. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Hariz ibn ‘Abdallah from Muhammad ibn Muslim from abu ‘Abdallah who has said the following. “If one of you would be asked of what he does not know he must say, ‘I have no knowledge and he must not say, “Allah knows best” because it may create doubts in the hearts of his audience. If the person questioned would say, “I do not know his audience will not accuse him of anything.”

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