ʿIlm al-Rijāl, the science of evaluating narrators, is a cornerstone of hadith authentication, it is not without its flaws and limitations. The process of examining the chain of narration (isnād) and assessing the trustworthiness of narrators is highly dependent on subjective judgments and human interpretations, which can introduce biases and inconsistencies. One major concern is that the evaluations of narrators often rely on the opinions of later scholars, who may have been influenced by their own theological, political, or cultural leanings. A narrator deemed trustworthy by one scholar might be labeled unreliable by another, leading to discrepancies in the classification of hadith. Moreover, many assessments were made centuries after the narrators lived, raising questions about the accuracy of the information available about them.

Another issue is the potential for systemic bias in the sources. The books of ʿIlm al-Rijāl often reflect the perspectives of specific schools of thought or regions, meaning that narrators who aligned with certain views might have been favored, while those who held opposing beliefs were discredited. This makes the process susceptible to sectarianism and personal rivalries, which could affect the evaluation of narrators and, by extension, the acceptance of hadith. Even the methodology of judging narrators has its challenges. The criteria for reliability—such as honesty, memory, and adherence to Islamic principles—are inherently subjective. Memory, for instance, cannot be empirically measured, and reports about a narrator’s character or behavior often come from second-hand or third-hand accounts, which could themselves be unreliable.

Additionally, the system focuses heavily on the isnād while often giving less attention to the content (matn) of the hadith. A hadith with a flawless isnād can still contain content that is inconsistent with established Islamic principles or historical realities, yet it might be accepted simply because the narrators were deemed trustworthy. Let’s use Ikrimah, the freedman of Ibn ʿAbbās, as a case study to demonstrate this point.

ʿIkrimah, the freedman of Ibn ʿAbbās (عكرمة مولى بن عباس) –

Ibn Ḥibbān (d. 965 CE) – al-Thiqātابن حبان – الثقات

Positive Comments	Negative Comments
English: “ʿIkrimah was one of the scholars of the people of his time in the Quran and jurisprudence.” Arabic: “كَانَ عِكْرِمَة من عُلَمَاء النَّاس فِي زَمَانه بِالْقُرْآنِ وَالْفِقْه.”	English: “ʿAlī ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās said: ‘This man (ʿIkrimah) lies about my father.’ He was seen chained at the gate of a lavatory.” Arabic: “دخلت على عَليّ بْن عَبْد اللَّه بْن عَبَّاس وَعِكْرِمَة مُقَيّد على بَاب الحش قلت من هَذَا قَالَ إِن هَذَا يكذب على أَبِي.”
English: “Jābir ibn Zayd used to say: ‘ʿIkrimah is among the most knowledgeable of people.'” Arabic: “وَكَانَ جَابر بْن زيد يَقُول عِكْرِمَة من أعلم النَّاس.”	English: “Ibn ʿUmar said to Nāfiʿ: ‘Do not lie about me as ʿIkrimah lies about Ibn ʿAbbās.’” Arabic: “أَيُّوب بْن رزين عَن نَافِع قَالَ سَمِعت بن عمر يَقُول يَا نَافِع لَا تكذب عَليّ كَمَا يكذب عِكْرِمَة على بن عَبَّاس.”
English: “The people of knowledge carried hadith and jurisprudence from him to all regions.” Arabic: “فَحمل أهل الْعلم عَنْهُ الحَدِيث وَالْفِقْه فِي الأقاليم كلهَا.”	English: “There was a jesting nature in him that some criticized.” Arabic: “وَمَا أعلم أحدا ذمه بِشَيْء إِلَّا بدعابة كَانَت فِيهِ.”
English: “When he died, people said: ‘The most knowledgeable of people and the most poetic of people have passed away today.'” Arabic: “فَأخْرج جنازتهما وَقَالَ النَّاس مَاتَ أفقه النَّاس وأشعر النَّاس.”	English: “Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād is not reliable, but his claim that ʿIkrimah was not trustworthy should not be overlooked.“ Arabic: “لِأَن يزِيد بْن أَبِي زِيَاد لَيْسَ مِمَّن يحْتَج بِنَقْل حَدِيثه وَلَا بِشَيْء يَقُوله.”
English: “ʿIkrimah lived to the age of 84, and was highly regarded by scholars despite some criticisms.” Arabic: “وَكَانَ لعكرمة يَوْم مَاتَ أَربع وَثَمَانُونَ سنة.”	–
English: “Those who claimed that we avoided ʿIkrimah’s narrations were unfair, especially since we did not avoid the narrations of others like Ibrāhīm ibn Abī Yahyā and his ilk, who were not more trustworthy than ʿIkrimah.” Arabic: “وَمِن زعم إِنَّا كُنَّا نتقي حَدِيث عِكْرِمَة فَلم ينصف إِذْ لم نتقي الرِّوَايَة عَن إِبْرَاهِيم بْن أبي يحيى وَذَوِيهِ.”	–
English: “It is unjust to criticize a just person like ʿIkrimah based on the words of a weak and unreliable individual, as Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād is not among those whose words or narrations are considered valid evidence.” Arabic: “وَمِن أمحل الْمحَال أَن يجرح الْعدْل بِكَلَام الْمَجْرُوح لِأَن يزِيد بْن أَبِي زِيَاد لَيْسَ مِمَّن يحْتَج بِنَقْل حَدِيثه وَلَا	–

Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 1201 CE) – al-Ḍuʿafāʾ wa-l-matrūkūnابن الجوزي – الضعفاء والمتروكون

Positive Comments	Negative Comments
ʿIkrimah was considered trustworthy by Ibn Abī Zīyād and Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn.	Ibn ʿUmar said to Nāfiʿ, “Do not lie about me like ʿIkrimah lied about Ibn ʿAbbās.“
Ayūb al-Sakhtīyānī said, “I could not accuse him of lying; he was not a liar.”	Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib criticized him, as did Mujāhid, Ibn Sīrīn, Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, and Mālik ibn Anas.
Although there was criticism, ʿIkrimah’s narrations were accepted by al-Bukhārī and Muslim in their Ṣaḥīḥs.	Ibn Abī Zīyād and Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn both considered him trustworthy, while Ibn Abī Zīyād also said he was not trustworthy.

Al-Dhahabī (d. 1348 CE) – Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾالذهبي – سير أعلام النبلا

Positive Comments	Negative Comments
He emphasized the value of knowledge, saying: “Knowledge has a price, so give it its price.” “قال: العلم له ثمن، فأعطوه ثمنه.”	Accused of slander when narrating hadith inconsistently, leading some to call him a liar. “
Encouraged placing knowledge with those who preserve it and value it. “ضعوا العلم مع من يحفظه ولا يضيعه.”	Ikrimah used to say when he saw beggars on Fridays: “He would curse them and say: Ibn Abbas would curse them and say: Do not attend the Friday prayer or the Eid prayer except for asking or harm. And when the people’s desire is towards Allah, their desire towards people is less.”
Highlighted self-sufficiency and dignity by discouraging begging during religious gatherings. “كان يلعن المتسولين يوم الجمعة، وقال: ابن عباس كان يلعنهم أيضاً.”	Ibn Lahi’a said: “He would narrate the view of Najdah al-Haruri, and he stayed with him for six months, then went to Ibn Abbas and greeted him.” Ibn Abbas said: “The evil one has come.“
Promoted intellectual engagement and debate. “كان يناقش الناس بأسلوب مباشر ويدعوهم لرفضه إذا كانوا يختلفون معه.”	His controversial statements, such as calling people in the mosque disbelievers, alienated others. “وقف عند باب المسجد وقال: ما فيكم إلا كافر.”
Shared views on practical aspects of life, like fasting and cupping, with wit. “كان يمزح قائلاً: أليس من المكروه أيضاً أن يتبول الصائم؟”	Ahmad bin Zuhair said: “I heard Yahya bin Ma’in say: The reason Malik did not mention Ikrimah (in the Muwatta) was because Ikrimah followed the opinion of the Sufriyah.”
Recognized for traveling widely to spread and exchange knowledge. “سافر لنشر وتبادل العلم، وزار إفريقية والمغرب وخراسان.”	Ali bin al-Madini said: “Ikrimah followed the opinion of Najdah al-Haruri.”Khalad bin Sulayman al-Hadrami narrated from Khalid bin Abi Imran:”Ikrimah entered upon us in Ifriqiyah during the season and said: ‘I wish I was today at the season with a spear in my hand to strike right and left.‘” وَرَوَى: خَلاَّدُ بنُ سُلَيْمَانَ الحَضْرَمِيُّ، عَنْ خَالِدِ بنِ أَبِي عِمْرَانَ، قَالَ: دَخَلَ عَلَيْنَا عِكْرِمَةُ مَوْلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ بِإِفْرِيْقِيَةَ فِي وَقْتِ المَوْسِمِ، فَقَالَ: وَدِدْتُ أَنِّي اليَوْمَ بِالمَوْسِمِ، بِيَدِي حَرْبَةٌ أَضْرِبُ بِهَا يَمِيْناً وَشِمَالاً. وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: فَأَعْتَرِضُ بِهَا مَنْ شَهِدَ المَوْسِمَ.
Known for his boldness in defending his opinions and confronting critics. “اشتهر بجرأته في الدفاع عن آرائه ومواجهة منتقديه.”	Ali bin al-Madini narrated: It was reported by Ya’qub al-Hadrami, from his grandfather, who said: “Ikrimah stood at the door of the mosque and said: ‘There is no one here except a disbeliever.‘” He was known to follow the view of the Ibadis. وَقَفَ عِكْرِمَةُ عَلَى بَابِ المَسْجِدِ، فَقَالَ: مَا فِيْهِ إِلاَّ كَافِرٌ.قَالَ: وَكَانَ يَرَى رَأْيَ الإِبَاضِيَّةِ.

Impact on Hadith

There are numerous positive remarks about ʿIkrimah, but they are overshadowed by deeply troubling concerns. He expressed a desire to wield a spear against members of a religious gathering, openly declared an entire mosque’s congregation as disbelievers, and was accused of affiliating with fringe sects. Even Ibn ʿAbbas himself reportedly referred to him as “evil.” The perspectives on ʿIkrimah within the works of ʿIlm al-Rijāl are undeniably mixed. But given such severe allegations—whether fully substantiated or not—why would anyone feel comfortable accepting a single hadith from someone with such a contentious reputation? Furthermore, these accusations are not scattered across a vast array of sources but are concentrated in just three distinct works, raising further questions about his credibility. Here is a major hadith that relies on Ikrima

It’s interesting to note that ʿIkrimah is the narrator of the hadith, “Whoever changes their religion, kill them.” When you look at his reputation, it raises some serious questions. There are many reports about his extreme behavior and questionable character. For example, he once said he wished he had a spear to attack people at a religious gathering, and he’s known for declaring entire groups of people as disbelievers. This harsh and rigid mindset makes it easy to see why he might narrate—or even create—a hadith that supports extreme punishment like this.

On top of that, ʿIkrimah was associated with fringe groups like the Ibadis and Sufriyah, which were known for their strict and sometimes extreme beliefs. Even respected scholars, like Ibn ʿAbbas, spoke negatively about him, with Ibn ʿAbbas reportedly calling him “evil.” Others accused him of being unreliable or even dishonest when narrating hadith.

What’s even more concerning is that these criticisms aren’t random or rare—they come up repeatedly in key Islamic texts. When you consider his personality, his behavior, and the company he kept, it’s reasonable to question this hadith considering it likely was influenced by ʿIkrimah’s own ideas.