Don't be deceived if you find a Sunni imam quoting/praising an innovator, because sometimes he may not be aware of his true condition
25 September 2023 • 3.9K views
Abū Bakr Al-Khallāl [D 311H] narrated in "As-Sunnah" with an authentic chain of transmission:
وَأَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، أَنَّ أَبَا الْحَارِثِ حَدَّثَهُمْ، قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ :"كَانَ شَبَابَةُ يَدْعُو إِلَى الْإِرْجَاءِ، وَكَتَبْنَا عَنْهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ نَعْلَمَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ هَذِهِ الْمَقَالَةَ.
Muḥammad ibn Ja’far informed me that Abul Ḥārith told them; he said: Abū ’Abdullāh (i.e. Imām Aḥmad) said: “Shabābah (ibn Siwār Al-Madā'ini) used to call to irjaa' and we used to write from him before coming to know that he used hold this view.