Unlike the previous articles in our series about the prohibition of the narration and documentation of Hadiths, nothing can be found that suggested Uthman implementing a ban on the documentation of Hadith or the narrating of Hadiths. However, there was one narration that can be found that implies a limitation on what Hadiths can be narrated.
Al-Shihristani states in “The Prohibition of Recording Hadiths” (p. 210) that it is recorded that Mahmud ibn Labid said that he heard `Uthman ibn `Affan saying from the Minbar, “It is impermissible for anyone to report a tradition from the Messenger of Allah unless this tradition was known during the reigns of Abu-Bakr and `Umar.”
This attribution to Uthman can only be found in Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra by Ibn Sa’ad through his teacher Mohammad bin Omar Al-Waqidi. Al-Waqidi is an infamous liar, and therefore, this Hadith is rejected. See his biography in Tahtheeb Al-Tahtheeb and Mizan Al-I’itidal.
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