Are the Aḥādīth in Maulānā Zakariya's books problematic?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu 'alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Ḥaḍrat Shaykh Zakariya was a renowned muḥaddith who authored many great works. Amongst his great works is Awjaz al-Masālik (commentary on the Muaṭṭa of Imām Mālik). He also authored books specifically dedicated for the spiritual enhancement and benefit of the general public such as Faḍā'il al-Aʿmāl.

These two famous books of Ḥaḍrat Shaykh Zakariya al-Kandhlawī (d. 1403 AH.) consist of verses of the Qur'ān, Aḥādīth, stories of the Ṣaḥābah and of the pious predecessors that explain the virtues of good deeds. The objective of these books is to encourage Muslims to do good deeds, and not explain matters related to fiqh.

The Dārl al-Iftā' of Darul Uloom Deoband has stated, "Ḥaḍrat Sheikh was confident that the narrations mentioned in the main text of Faḍā'il al-Aʿmāl were free from any fabricated Aḥādīth. However, the Aḥādīth which were mentioned when commentating on the aḥādīth in the main text, do contain some fabricated narrations (and/or extremely weak). And this does not affect the ḥadīth mentioned in the main text."[1]

And Allah Ta'āla Knows Best

Ibn Aḥsan

Student - Darul Iftaa

New York City, New York, USA

Checked and Approved by,

Mufti Ebrahim Desai.