Isnaad of the hadeeth, “Whatever Allaah has permitted in His Book is halaal” and the ruling thereon
Question

                My question is about a hadeeth – “Whatever Allaah has permitted in His Book is halaal, whatever He has forbidden is haraam, and whatever He was silent about is pardoned, so accept the pardon of Allaah, for Allaah was not forgetful. Then he recited this verse: ‘and your Lord is never forgetful’ [Maryam 19:64].” This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (5/325), and classed as hasan on p. 14 of Ghaayat al-Maraam. 

But according to the website al-Durar al-Sunniyyah many things were said about this hadeeth, such as: its isnaad is very weak (da’eef jiddan) although its meaning is sound; its isnaad is good; its isnaad is saheeh; it is saheeh mawqoof and may be regarded as hasan because of corroborating marfoo’ reports; its isnaad includes Sayf ibn Haroon al-Barjami who was classed as da’eef by a number of scholars, but Abu Na’eem classed him as thiqah (trustworthy); it is da’eef. 

Shaykh Abu Ishaaq al-Huwayni said in his website that it is da’eef (weak).
What is your opinion about this hadeeth? Is it valid for us to quote it as evidence? 

Should we ignore the ahaadeeth concerning which the scholars’ opinions differed?.
Praise be to Allah.Firstly: 
    This hadeeth was narrated in similar versions from a number of the Sahaabah 
    (may Allaah be pleased with them), as follows: 
1 – It was 
    narrated from Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) in a marfoo’ 
    report: “Whatever Allaah has permitted in His Book is halaal, whatever He 
    has forbidden is haraam, and whatever He was silent about is pardoned, so 
    accept the pardon of Allaah, for Allaah was not forgetful. Then he recited 
    this verse: ‘and your Lord is never forgetful’ [Maryam 19:64].” 
Narrated by 
    al-Daaraqutni in his Sunan (2/137); al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak 
    (2/406 and 10/12); al-Tabaraani in Musnad al-Shaamiyeen (3/209) 
    through a number of isnaads from ‘Aasim ibn Raja’ ibn Haywah from his father 
    from Abu’l-Darda’ from the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him). 
This isnaad 
    is munqati’ (interrupted), as there is a clear gap between Raja’ ibn Haywah 
    and Abu’l-Darda’, as Raja’ died in 112 AH and Abu’l-Darda’ died in 32 AH. 
Ibn Hajar 
    said in his biography of Raja’ ibn Haywah in Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb 
    (3/229): His reports from Abu’l-Darda’ are mursal. End quote. 
Al-Dhahabi 
    (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning this hadeeth: Its isnaad is 
    munqati’. End quote. 

    Al-Muhadhdhab fi Ikhtisaar al-Sunan al-Kubra by 
    al-Bayhaqi (8/3975). 
Al-Mu’allimi 
    (may Allaah have mercy on him) said likewise in al-Anwaar 
    al-Kaashifah (301). 
2 – It was 
    narrated from Salmaan al-Faarisi in the words: “The Messenger of Allaah  
    (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about ghee, cheese and 
    wild donkeys. He said: ‘The halaal is that which Allaah has permitted in His 
    Book and the haraam is that which Allaah has forbidden in His Book, and 
    whatever He was silent about is pardoned.’”  
Narrated by 
    al-Tirmidhi (1726); Ibn Maajah (3367); al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak 
    (4/129); and from him by al-Bayhaqi in al-Kubra (9/320 and 10/12). It 
    was narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer (6/250) via Sayf ibn Haroon 
    al-Barjami from Sulaymaan al-Taymi from Abu ‘Uthmaan from Salmaan. 
Al-Mazzi 
    said in Tahdheeb al-Kamaal (8/255): Its isnaad includes Sayf ibn 
    Haroon. Ibn Ma’een said: That is not the case. Al-Nasaa’i said: He is da’eef 
    (weak). Al-Daaraqutni said: He is da’eef matrook (weak, rejected). End 
    quote. 
Al-Tirmidhi 
    said: This is a ghareeb hadeeth which we do not know in any marfoo’ report 
    except via this isnaad. Sufyaan and others narrated these words from 
    Sulaymaan al-Taymi from Abu ‘Uthmaan from Salmaan. It is as if the mawqoof 
    hadeeth is more sound. I asked al-Bukhaari about this hadeeth and he said: I 
    do not think it is known. Sufyaan narrated from Sulaymaan al-Taymi from Abu 
    ‘Uthmaan from Salmaan in a mawqoof report. Al-Bukhaari said: Sayf ibn Haroon 
    is muqaarib al-hadeeth. End quote. 
Ibn Abi 
    Haatim said in ‘Ilal al-Hadeeth (2/10): 
My father 
    said: This is a mistake. It was narrated by trustworthy narrators from 
    al-Taymi from Abu ‘Uthmaan from the Prophet  (peace and blessings of 
    Allaah be upon him) in a mursal report which does not include Sulaymaan, and 
    this is what is correct. End quote.
Ahmad said: 
    It is munkar, and it was also classed as munkar by Ibn Ma’een. 
This was 
    quoted by Ibn Rajab in Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hukam (2/69). 
Shaykh 
    al-Albaani said in al-Ta’leeqaat al-Radiyyah (3/54): 
Its isnaad 
    is very weak (da’eef jiddan), but its meaning is sound. End quote. 
3 – It was 
    narrated from Abu Tha’labah al-Khushani (may Allaah be pleased with him) 
    that the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 
    him) said: “Allaah has enjoined obligations so do not neglect them, and He 
    has set limits so do not transgress them, and He has declared some things 
    forbidden so do not violate them, and He has remained silent about some 
    things out of mercy to you, not because He forgot, so do not ask about 
    them.”  
Narrated by 
    a number of scholars, all via Dawood ibn Abi Hind from Mak-hool from Abu 
    Tha’labah. 
They 
    differed concerning Dawood ibn Abi Hind. 
Hafs ibn 
    Ghiyaath narrated it in a mawqoof report as noted by al-Bayhaqi (10/12); 
    Yazeed ibn Haroon agreed with him as was mentioned by al-Daaraqutni in 
    al-‘Ilal (6/324). 
It was also 
    narrated by ‘Ali ibn Mas-har in a marfoo’ report as recorded by al-Bayhaqi 
    in al-Kubra (10/12); and by Ishaaq al-Azraq as noted by al-Daaraqutni 
    (4/184); and by Muhammad ibn Fudayl as noted by al-Daaraqutni in al-‘Ilal 
    (6/324). 
Ibn Rajab 
    said in Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hakam (2/68): 
It has two 
    faults: 
1 – There is 
    no proof that Mak-hool heard from Abu Tha’labah, This was stated by Abu 
    Shahr al-Dimashqi, Abu Na’eem al-Haafiz and others. 
2 – There is 
    a difference of opinion concerning his marfoo’ and mawqoof reports from Abu 
    Tha’labah. Some of them narrated it from Mak-hool from his words, but 
    al-Daaraqutni said in al-‘Ilal (6/324): What is more likely to be 
    correct is that they are marfoo’. He said: And this is more well known. End 
    quote. 
Ibn Hajar 
    said: Its men are thiqaat (trustworthy) but it is munqati’ (interrupted). 
    End quote. Al-Mataalib al-‘Aaliyah (3/271). 
Al-Dhahabi 
    said: Munqati’ (interrupted). Al-Muhadhdhab (8/3976). 
Al-Albaani 
    said: There is some interruption in its isnaad. End quote. Tahqeeq Riyadh 
    al-Saaliheen (1841). 
Conclusion: 
    The isnaads of this hadeeth are not free of weakness, but can it be regarded 
    as strong when they are taken all together? 
Some of the 
    scholars were of this view. Al-Nawawi classed as hasan the hadeeth of Abu 
    Tha’labah, as it says in al-Adhkaar (505). It was classed as saheeh 
    by Ibn al-Qayyim in I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een (1/221) and by Ibn Katheer 
    in his Tafseer (1/405). Al-Albaani said in Tahqeeq al-Eemaan li 
    Ibn Taymiyah (43): It is hasan because of corroborating reports. 
Al-Albaani 
    classed as hasan the hadeeth of Salmaan al-Faarisi in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi 
    (1726). In al-Mishkaat (4156) it says: It is saheeh mawqoof, but it 
    may be classed as hasan because of marfoo’ corroborating reports. 
But others 
    are of the view that the severe weakness in the isnaads of this hadeeth 
    means that it cannot be regarded as strong when all its isnaads are taken 
    together. The hadeeth of Abu’l-Darda’ is plainly munqati’ (interrupted), the 
    hadeeth of Salmaan al-Faarisi is munkar and it is a mistake to regard it as 
    marfoo’ (attributable to the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him)), and the hadeeth of Abu Tha’labah is munqati’ and there is some 
    dispute as to whether it is marfoo’. 
This report 
    from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) is saheeh, but it is his 
    words (not the Prophet’s). This was narrated by Abu Dawood (2800). 
Ibn Katheer 
    said in Irshaad al-Faqeeh (1/367): its isnaad is saheeh.  
It was 
    classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood and Mishkaat 
    al-Masaabeeh (4074). 
The general 
    meaning of the hadeeth is also established in the basic principles of Islam, 
    and is quoted and accepted by the scholars. 
Ibn 
    al-‘Arabi said in ‘Aaridat al-Ahwadhi (4/185): The meaning of this 
    hadeeth is proven in al-Saheeh. End quote. 
Abu Bakr ibn 
    al-Sam’aani said: This hadeeth is one of the basic principles of Islam. It 
    was narrated from some of them that he said: There is no single hadeeth of 
    the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 
    which sums up all the basic principles of Islam apart from the hadeeth of 
    Abu Tha’labah. End quote. 
Jaami’ 
    al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hikam (2/70). 
For more 
    information on the meaning of the hadeeth and commentary on it, see Ibn 
    Rajab’s commentary on this hadeeth in Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hikam, 
    commentary on hadeeth no. 30 (2/68-87). 
Secondly: 
It should be 
    noted that when the scholars rule that a specific hadeeth is sound or weak, 
    that may refer to a specific isnaad, and does not refer to the hadeeth with 
    all its isnaads. For example, a scholar may judge one of the isnaads to be 
    weak, then elsewhere he may judge another isnaad of the same hadeeth to be 
    sound. This is not a contradiction, rather it is based on a difference in 
    the isnaads in question. This is what happened in the case of Shaykh 
    al-Albaani when he spoke about the hadeeth under discussion here; he classed 
    it as saheeh when reported from Abu’l-Darda’, and he classed its isnaad as 
    da’eef in the reports of Salmaan al-Faarisi, but he classed it as hasan 
    because of corroborating reports, so it is hasan li ghayrihi in his view. 
    That is not a contradiction; rather it is in accordance with the principles 
    of the science of hadeeth. 
The Muslim 
    has to follow the truth as it appears to him after researching and striving 
    to find out what is correct (ijtihaad). If he is not able to engage in 
    ijtihaad, then it is sufficient for him to follow well known scholars whose 
    knowledge he trusts and who are trustworthy, and he should not pay any 
    attention to anyone else. This includes matters of hadeeth and fiqh. 
And Allaah 
    knows best.