© 2019 Institute of Knowledge

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Printed in the United States of America

First Publishing, 2019

ISBN: 9781793125187

Content input: Jawad Beg

Cover design, layout, and typesetting: Mohammad Bibi
Typeset in Lato, Nassim, Adobe Arabic, and
KFGQPC Uthmanic Script HAFS
Arabic Symbols: KFGQPC Arabic Symbols 01
 Dedicated to my parents, family, and teachers.
May Allah continue to bless them and grant them
the highest ranks in Paradise.
 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION XVII
PRELIMINARY DEFINITIONS XXI

CHAPTER 1 Explaining the Quran 3

IMPORTANCE OF To follow the Sunnah is 4
THE SUNNAH Mandatory 7
Model Behavior/Role Model

CHAPTER 2 Definition 9
‘ULUM Subject Matter 10
AL-HADITH Purpose 11
Objective 11

CHAPTER 3 The Era of the Prophet  14

PRESERVATION The Era of the Companions  22
& COMPILATION The Era of the Successors (Late
OF HADITH 1s​t​Century – Early 2n​d​Century)
23

Compilation and Preservation in
the Late 2​nd​Century 24
Preservation and Compilation in
the 3rd Century 26

IX
 CHAPTER 4 al-Ṣaḥī​fah 29
HADITH al-Muṣannaf 30
LITERATURE al-Musnad 30
al-Jāmiʿ 31
Sunan 32
al-Muʿjam 32
al-Mustadrak 33
al-Mustakhraj 33
al-Juzʾ 33
al-Sharḥ 33

CHAPTER 5 Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik  35

WELL-KNOWN Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 36
HADITH WORKS Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 38
Jāmiʿ of Imām al-Tirmidhi 39
& THEIR Sunan Abī Dāwūd 41
COMPILERS Sunan al-Nasāʾī 42
Sunan ibn Mājah 42

CHAPTER 6 Origins of the Isnād 46

AL-ISNAD The Expansion of the Isnād 47

CHAPTER 7 49
BIOGRAPHIES
OF HADITH
NARRATORS
& CRITIQUE
AND VALIDATION

Classification of Ḥadīth 55

X
 CHAPTER 8 al-Ḥadīth al-Qudsī: The Divine
CLASSIFICATION Ḥadīth 58
OF HADITH a​​l-Ḥadīth al-Marfūʿ: The
Elevated Ḥadīth 60
ACCORDING TO al-Ḥadīth al-Mawqūf: The
AUTHORITY Suspended Ḥadīth 61
al-Ḥadīth al-Maqṭūʿ: The
Severed (Cut-off) Ḥadīth 63

CHAPTER 9 al-Ḥadīth al-Mutawātir: The

CLASSIFICATION Consecutively Recurrent Ḥadīth 66
OF HADITH Types of Mutawātir 67
Khabar al-Āḥād: The Solitary
ACCORDING TO Report 70
THE NUMBER OF
NARRATORS

CHAPTER 10 al-Mashhūr (The Well-Known) 74

TYPES OF AHAD al-ʿAzī​z​(The Strong Ḥadīth) 76
ACCORDING al-Gharī​b​(The Isolated Ḥadīth) 78
TO NUMBER OF
NARRATORS

CHAPTER 11 al-Ṣaḥīḥ: The Authentic Ḥadīth 84

CLASSIFICATION al-Ḥasan: The Fair Ḥadīth 87
OF AHAD WITH al-Ṣaḥīḥ li Ghayrihi (The
Extrinsically Authentic Ḥadīth) 88
RESPECT TO al-Ḍaʿī​​f (The Weak Ḥadīth) 89
STRENGTH & al-Ḥasan li Ghayrihi (The
WEAKNESS Extrinsically Fair Ḥadīth) 91

XI
 CHAPTER 12 Weak Narrations because of a
TYPES OF WEAK Break in the Chain of Narrators 93
AHADITH Weakness of Aḥādīth Due to
Deficiencies in the Narrators 101
Acting Upon and Using Weak
Narrations 110

FURTHER READING 113

BIBLIOGRAPHY 115
NOTES 121
Transliteration & Pronunciation Key
Arabic Transliteration Sound
Letter
A slight catch in the breath, cutting slightly short the preceding
‫ء‬ ʾ
syllable.
‫ا‬ ā An elongated a as in cat.

‫ب‬ b As in best.

‫ت‬ t As in ten.

‫ث‬ th As in thin.

‫ج‬ j As in jewel.
Tensely breathed h sound made by dropping tongue into back
‫ح‬ ḥ
of throat, forcing the air out.
Pronounced like the ch in Scottish loch, made by touching back
‫خ‬ kh
of tongue to roof of mouth and forcing air out.
‫د‬ d As in depth.

‫ذ‬ dh A thicker th sound as in the.

‫ر‬ r A rolled r, similar to Spanish.

‫ز‬ z As in zest.

‫س‬ s As in seen.

‫ش‬ sh As in sheer.
A heavy s pronounced far back in the mouth with the mouth
‫ص‬ ṣ
hollowed to produce full sound.
A heavy d/dh pronounced far back in the mouth with the mouth
‫ض‬ ḍ
hollowed to produce a full sound.
A heavy t pronounced far back in the mouth with the mouth
‫ط‬ ṭ
hollowed to produce a full sound.
A heavy dh pronounced far back in the mouth with the mouth
‫ظ‬ ẓ
hollowed to produce a full sound.
‫ع‬ ʿ A guttural sound pronouned narrowing the throat.

‫غ‬ gh Pronounced like a throaty French r with the mouth hallowed.

‫ف‬ f As in feel.
A guttural q sound made from the back of the throat with the
‫ق‬ q
mouth hallowed.
‫ك‬ k As in kit.

‫ل‬ l As in lip.

‫م‬ m As in melt.

‫ن‬ n As in nest.

‫ه‬ h As in hen.

XIII
 w (at the beg. of syllable) As in west.
‫و‬
ū (in the middle of syllable) An elongated oo sound, as in boo.
y (at beg. of syllable) As in yes.
‫ي‬
ī (in the middle of syllable) An elongated ee sound, as in seen.

c Used following the mention of Allah, God, translated as, “Glorified

and Exalted be He.”

 Used following the mention of the Prophet Muḥammad, translated

as, “May God honor and protect him.”

 Used following the mention of any other prophet or Gabriel,

translated as, “May God’s protection be upon him.”

 Used following the mention of the Prophet Muḥammad’s

Companions, translated as, “May God be pleased with them.”

 Used following the mention of a male Companion of the Prophet

Muḥammad, translated as, “May God be pleased with him.”

 Used following the mention of a female Companion of the Prophet

Muḥammad, translated as, “May God be pleased with her.”

k Used following the mention of two Companions of the Prophet

Muḥammad, translated as, “May God be pleased with them both.”
 Used following the mention of the major scholars of Islam,
translated as, “May God have mercy on them.”

 Used following the mention of a major scholar of Islam, translated

as, “May God have mercy on him.”

XIV
INTRODUCTION
—
FROM THE AUTHOR

In the name of Allah the Most Merciful,

the Very Merciful.

A ll thanks and praise are due to Allah c, the Lord of the worlds, and
may His peace and blessings be upon His last and final messenger,
Muḥammad , his family, his Companions, and those who follow them
until the end of times.
Among Islamic disciplines, Ḥadīth Studies have a unique and special
status. This branch of knowledge is considered to be one of the most noble
Islamic Sciences. A topic’s distinction is directly related to the honor and
distinction of its subject matter. What greater honor and distrinction then to
be connected to Allah’s messenger? Regarding this concept, Imām al-Nawawī
r writes, “The science of ḥadīth is the noblest means for attaining closeness
to the Lord of the Worlds. How can it not be so, when it is the exposition of
the way of the best of mankind and the most noble of the first and last of
creation: Muḥammad g?”
The reason why Ḥadīth Studies is so special is because it is the study
of the words, actions, approvals, and characteristics of the last and final
Messenger, the leader of the Prophets, the most noble human being to walk
on the face of this Earth, our beloved Muḥammad g. Our teachers would say

XVII
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

that it is an honor and privilege for us to be given the opportunity to study

anything related to the aḥādīth [plural of ḥadīth] of the Prophet g.
The importance of aḥādīth and the Sunnah within the framework of
Islam cannot be overemphasized; they are foundational to our belief and
practice. There are two primary sources of Islam: the Quran and Sunnah.
Broadly speaking, the Quran provides us with general rules, principles,
morals, values, ethics, and ideas while the Sunnah provides the details.
In other words, the Sunnah of the Prophet g is a detailed explanation of
what is mentioned by Allah c in the Quran. It is impossible to act upon
the Quran, to follow its guidance, teachings, commands, and prohibitions
without the Sunnah of the Prophet g.
It is narrated that once ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn h was sitting with his
students when a man came and said, “Do not speak to us except with the
Quran.” ʿImrān asked him to come close and said, “Tell me, if you and your
companions relied upon the Quran alone, would you find that ẓuhr prayer
is four units, ʿaṣr is four units, maghrib is three units, and that you have to
recite in the first two units? Tell me, if you and your companions relied upon
the Quran alone, would you find that ṭawāf is seven circuits and that walking
between Ṣafā and Marwah is seven circuits? O people! Take (the Sunnah)
from us, because, by Allah, if you do not, you will go astray.”1
This incident highlights just one aspect of the importance of the Sunnah.
Without it, we would have no practical way of implementing the Quran. We
would not know how to worship Allah c properly. Imām Abū Ḥanīfah r
said, “Had it not been for the Sunnah, none of us would have understood the
Quran.” Imām al-Shāfiʿī r said, “Everything the imams say is an explanation
of the Sunnah, and the entire Sunnah is an explanation of the Quran.”
Alḥamdulillāh, through the grace and mercy of Allah c, I have been
blessed with the opportunity to develop and teach a course through IOK
Extension, which is now the Part-Time Seminary, on the Sciences of Ḥadīth.
While preparing for the course, I compiled a set of personal notes that I would
use to teach the class. The course is also taught to the IOK Seminary students
before they begin their study of ḥadīth. I thought that it would be beneficial
for our students, as well as other students of knowledge, to compile my notes
into a short booklet that can serve as a brief introduction to the Sciences of
Ḥadīth in order to help establish a basic level of literacy within the subject.
1 al-Bayhaqī, Madkhal al-Dalā’il

XVIII
 Introduction

The purpose of this booklet is to provide, what I consider to be, something

similar to “cliff notes” for Ḥadīth Studies.
I compiled the notes primarily from five sources:

1. A Textbook of Ḥadīth Studies by Professor Hashim Kamali

2. Studies in Ḥadīth Methodology and Literature by Dr. Muhammad
Mustafa Azami
3. Hadith: Muhammadʾs Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World by Dr.
Jonathan Brown
4. Manhaj al-Naqd fī ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth by the eminent scholar Nūr al-Dīn
ʿIṭr
5. Taysīr Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīth by the teacher of one of my teachers Dr.
Maḥmūd al-Ṭaḥḥān.

This is not an original work; rather, it is a summary of what I found to

be beneficial and important for beginning students of knowledge or for those
interested in having a solid introduction to the study of ḥadīth.
I would like to thank all of those individuals who provided suggestions,
comments, improvements and took the time out of their busy schedules
to edit this short work. May Allah c reward our IOK Seminary students
Mudassir Mayet and Ayesha Hussain, as well as Shaykh Joe Bradford,
continue to bless them, and increase them in knowledge.
I ask Allah c to bless this small effort and make it beneficial for those
who read it. I ask Allah c to bless all of us with a deep appreciation for the
entire field of Ḥadīth Studies and to increase our love for the Prophet g. May
Allah shower His blessings and mercy upon His last and final messenger,
Muḥammad g.

Furhan Zubairi
Diamond Bar, CA
November 3, 2018 / Ṣafar 25, 1440

XIX
 PRELIMINARY DEFINITIONS
AL-ḤADĪTH (THE NARRATION)
Linguistically, the word ḥadīth means something new, the opposite of
something old.

‫ ضد القديم‬،‫اجلديد‬

Technically, the word ḥadīth refers to a statement, action, or tacit

approval attributed to the Prophet g. Similarly, it is sometimes also used
to refer to a statement, action, or tacit approval of a Companion j or even
a Successor s.

‫ من قول أو فعل أو تقرير أو صفة‬g ‫ما أضيف إىل انليب‬

AL-KHABAR (REPORT)
Linguistically, the word khabar means news or information.

‫انلبأ‬

Technically, it is used to refer to what has been narrated from the Prophet
g or someone other than him.

‫ أو عن غريه‬g ‫ما جاء عن انليب‬

So the word khabar is more general than the word ḥadīth; every ḥadīth
is a khabar but not every khabar is necessarily a ḥadīth. Generally speaking,
ḥadīth scholars use it as a synonym for ḥadīth.

AL-ATHAR (TRADITION)
Linguistically, the word athar means trace or effect.

‫بقية اليشء‬

XXI
 Technically, it is used to refer to a statement, action, or tacit approval
attributed to a Companion j.

‫ما أضيف إىل الصحابة من أقوال وأفعال‬

It is also sometimes used as a synonym for the word ḥadīth. For example,
Imam al-Ṭaḥāwī r entitled his famous work Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār even
though it includes narrations attributed to the Prophet g.

AL-SUNNAH (THE WAY)

Linguistically, the word sunnah means a way or usual path, regardless of
whether it is good or bad.

‫السرية والطريقة المعتادة حسنة اكنت أو قبيحة‬

Technically, the word sunnah can have different meanings depending

on who is using it and in what context it is being used. In the most general
sense, it refers to the way of the Prophet g in everything he did, regardless
of whether that action is legally considered to be obligatory (farḍ), mandatory
(wājib), or recommended (mustaḥabb).

‫ والمنهج انلبوي احلنيف‬،‫الطريقة المرشوعة المتبعة يف ادلين‬

According to the jurists, it is a legal value assigned to a personʾs actions.

If a person does it, then they will be rewarded. If they leave it, then there is
no blame upon them. The jurists define it as something that the Prophet g
did on a regular and consistent basis as an act of devotion, while leaving it
sometimes without an excuse.

‫ مع الرتك أحيانا‬،‫ ىلع وجه العبادة‬g ‫ما واظب عليه انليب‬

‫لغري عذر‬

As for the scholars of ḥadīth, they use it as a synonym for the word
ḥadīth.

XXII
 PART 1:

OVERVIEW
OF HADITH
STUDIES

1
 1

IMPORTANCE
OF THE SUNNAH
A s mentioned in the introduction, the importance of aḥādīth and the
Sunnah within the framework of Islam cannot be overemphasized;
they are a foundational aspect of belief and practice. There are two primary
sources of Islam: the Quran and Sunnah. Broadly speaking, the Quran
provides general rules, principles, morals, values, ethics and ideals while the
Sunnah provides the details. In other words, the Sunnah of the Prophet g
is a detailed explanation of what is mentioned by Allah c in the Quran.
It is impossible to act upon the Quran, to follow its guidance, teachings,
commands, and prohibitions without the Sunnah of the Prophet g. There
are a number of reasons why the Sunnah is considered to be central to Islamic
beliefs and practices and several articles and booklets have been written on
this topic.

EXPLAINING THE QURAN

Allah c revealed the noble Quran as a book of guidance illuminating the
path towards happiness and success both in this world and the next. Allah c
gave the Quran to the Prophet g as an everlasting miracle, whose miraculous
nature can be seen and experienced until the end of time. Along with the
Quran, Allah c gave the Prophet g the Sunnah as a detailed explanation of

3
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

what is in the Quran.

Allah c says, “And We revealed to you the message that you may make
clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give
thought.”1

َ َّ َ َّ َ َ َ ُ َ ّ َ‫ذل ْك َر لِ ُب‬ّ َ َْ َْ َ ََ
ِ ‫ي ل َِّلن‬
‫اس َما ن ّ ِزل إِلْ ِه ْم َول َعل ُه ْم َي َتفك ُرون‬ ِ ِ ‫وأنزلا إِلك ا‬

Allah c also says, “And We have not revealed to you the Book, [O
Muḥammad], except for you to make clear to them that wherein they have
differed and as guidance and mercy for a people who believe.”2

ُ َُ ْ َّ َ َ ّ َ ُ َّ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ
‫ي ل ُه ُم الِي اخ َتلفوا فِيهِ ۙ َوه ًدى‬ ِ ‫وما أنزلا عليك الكِتاب إِل لِ ب‬
َ ْ َّ ًَْ َ َ
‫حة ل ِق ْو ٍم يُؤم ُِنون‬ ‫ور‬

In these two verses and several others throughout the Quran, Allah c
is explicitly stating that one of the responsibilities of the Prophet g was
to explain the book of Allah. In other words, the Sunnah of the Prophet g
is a detailed explanation of what is mentioned by Allah c in the Quran.
To reiterate, it is impossible to act upon the Quran, to follow the guidance,
teachings, commands, and prohibitions without the Sunnah of the Prophet
g.

TO FOLLOW THE SUNNAH IS MANDATORY

In addition to that there are numerous verses that make it explicitly clear
that it is obligatory to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet g. In several places
throughout the Quran Allah c makes it an obligation to obey His messenger
and follow him.
“O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those
in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah
and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is
the best [way] and best in result.”3
1 Quran, 16:44
2 Quran, 16:64
3 Quran, 4:59

4
 CHAPTER 1: IMPORTANCE OF THE SUNNAH

َْ ُ ‫الل َوأَط‬ ُ ‫آم ُنوا أَط‬

ُ
‫ول ال ْم ِر مِنك ْم‬
َُ َ ُ
‫أ‬‫و‬ ‫ول‬ ‫س‬ َّ ‫ِيعوا‬
‫الر‬ َ َّ ‫ِيعوا‬ َ ‫يَا َأ ُّي َها َّال‬
َ ‫ِين‬
ِ
َ ُ ُْ ُْ ُ َّ َ ُ ُّ ُ َ ْ َ ْ َ ََ َ
‫الر ُسو ِل إِن كنتم تؤمِنون‬
َّ ‫اللِ َو‬ ‫ازع ُت ْم ِف ش ٍء فردوه إِل‬ ‫ۖ فإِن تن‬
ً َْ ُ َ ْ ََ ٌْ َ َ َ ْ ْ َ ْ َ َّ
‫بِاللِ والو ِم الخ ِِر ۚ ‌ٰذل ِك خي وأحسن تأوِيل‬

“He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah; but those who turn
away - We have not sent you over them as a guardian.”4

َ ‫الل ۖ َو َمن تَ َو َّ ٰل َف َما أَ ْر َسلْ َن‬

‫اك‬
َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ ُ َّ
َ َّ ‫اع‬ ‫َّمن يُطِعِ الرسول فقد أط‬
ً َ
‫َعليْ ِه ْم َحفِيظا‬

“It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and
His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any
choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has
certainly strayed into clear error.”5

َ ُ َ َ ُ ُ ُ َ َ ُ َّ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ
‫ول أ ْم ًرا أن يَكون‬‫َو َما كن ل ُِمؤم ٍِن َول ُمؤم َِن ٍة إِذا قض الل ورس‬
َّ َ َ َ ُ َ ُ َ َ َ َّ َ ْ ُ َُ
‫ول فق ْد ضل‬ ‫ِيةُ م ِْن أ ْم ِره ِْم ۗ َو َمن َي ْع ِص الل ورس‬
َ َ ‫ال‬ ‫لهم‬
ً
ً ‫َضلل ُّمب‬ َ
‫ينا‬ِ

“And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has
forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in
penalty.”6

ُ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ ُ َ ُ ُ َّ ُ ُ َ َ َ
َ َ‫اك ْم َعنْ ُه ف‬
َ َّ ‫انت ُهوا ۚ َو َّات ُقوا‬
ۖ ‫الل‬ ‫وما آتاكم الرسول فخذوه وما نه‬
َ ْ ُ َ َ َّ َّ
‫اب‬
ِ ‫إِن الل شدِيد العِق‬

“Say, [O Muḥammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so]
Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and
4 Quran, 4:80
5 Quran, 33:36
6 Quran, 59:7

5
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

Merciful.”7

ُ َ ْ ُ َّ ُ ُ ْ ْ ُ
‫الل َو َيغ ِف ْر لك ْم‬ ‫ون يبِبكم‬ ُ َّ َ َ َّ َ ُّ ُ ْ ُ ُ ُْ
ِ ‫قل إِن كنتم تِبون الل فاتبِع‬
ٌ ‫الل َغ ُف‬
ٌ ‫ور َّرح‬
‫ِيم‬
ُ َ ُُ
ُ َّ ‫ك ْم ۗ َو‬ ‫ذنوب‬

The claim that following the Sunnah is not necessary or that the aḥādīth
are unreliable is absolutely ridiculous.
Similarly, there are a number of narrations from the Prophet g that talk
about the importance of holding on to his guidance in every single thing,
whether big or small, significant or insignificant.
The Prophet g said, “So you must keep to my sunnah and to the sunnah
of the Khulafāʾ al-Rāshidūn (the Rightly Guided Caliphs), those who guide
to the correct way. Cling to it stubbornly [literally: with your molar teeth].
Beware of newly invented matters [in the religion], for verily every innovation
(bidʿah) is misguidance.”8

َ َ‫ َع ُّضوا َعل‬،‫ِيني‬
‫يها‬ َ ‫المهد‬ َ ‫ِين‬ َّ ِ‫اخللَ َفاء‬
َ ‫الرا ِشد‬ ُ ِ‫يكم ب ُس َّنت َو ُس َّنة‬ُ َََ
‫فعل‬
ِ ِ
ٌَ َ َ َ َّ ُ َّ َ ُُ َ َ ُ َ ُ َّ
‫ات األمورِ؛ فإِن ك بِدع ٍة ضللة‬ ِ ‫ج ِذ ِإَوياكم ومدث‬ َ َّ
ِ ‫بِانلوا‬
The Prophet g said, “To proceed, the best speech is the Book of Allah
and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad g, the worst practice is
the introduction of new practices in Islam and every innovation [in religion]
is a misguidance.”9

َُ ُ َ
،‫دى م َّم ٍد‬ ‫الهدِى ه‬ َ ‫اللِ َو َخ‬
َ ‫ري‬ َّ ُ َ
‫ِيث كِتاب‬ َ ‫ري‬ ُ َ‫‏أَ َّما ب‬
َ ‫عد؛ فَإ َّن َخ‬
ِ ‫احلد‬ ِ
ٌَ َ َ َ ُّ ُ َ َ ُ َ َ ُ ُ ُ ُّ َ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َ ُ َّ َّ َ
‫دع ٍة ضلل ‏ة‬ ِ ‫ وك ب‬،‫ وش األمورِ مدثاتها‬،‫صل الل عليهِ وسلم‬
There are also multiple narrations that encourage reviving and following
the Sunnah of the Prophet g. Narrations that talk about the blessings,
rewards, and virtues of following in the footsteps of the Prophet g.
The Prophet g said, “'Whoever revives a Sunnah of mine that dies out

7 Quran, 3:31
8 Abū Dāwūd, k. al-sunnah, b. fī luzūm al-sunnah, 4607
9 Muslim, k. al-jumuʿah, b. takhfīf al-ṣalah wa al-khuṭbah, 867

6
 CHAPTER 1: IMPORTANCE OF THE SUNNAH

after I am gone, he will have a reward equivalent to that of those among the
people who act upon it, without that detracting from their reward in the
slightest.”10

َ َ َ َّ َ َ ‫حيا ُس َّن ًة مِن ُس َّنت قَد أُم‬َ َ‫َمن أ‬

‫ِيتت بَعدِي فإِن ُل م َِن األجرِ مِثل‬ ِ
ً ‫اس َش‬ ُ ُ َ َ َ
‫يئا‬ ِ َّ‫اس ال يَنق ُص مِن أ ُجورِ انل‬ ِ َّ‫جر َمن َع ِمل ب ِ َها م َِن انل‬
ِ ‫أ‬
The Prophet g said, “The one who holds on tightly to my Sunnah when
corruption in my nation spreads, for him the reward of a hundred martyrs.”11

َ َ ُ َ ُ َ َّ ُ َ َ َ َّ ُ
‫يد‬
ٍ ‫جر مِائ ِة ش ِه‬‫الم َت َمسِك ب ِ ُسن ِت عِند فسادِ أم ِت ل أ‬
ُ

MODEL BEHAVIOR/ROLE MODEL

Allah c says, “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example
to follow for him who hopes in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah
much.”12

َ َّ ‫اللِ أُ ْس َوةٌ َح َس َن ٌة ل ِّ َمن َك َن يَ ْر ُجو‬

‫الل‬
َّ ُ َ َ َ َ َّ
‫لق ْد كن لك ْم ِف َر ُسو ِل‬
ً ِ ‫الل َكث‬
‫ريا‬ َ َّ ‫َو ْالَ ْو َم ْالخ َِر َو َذ َك َر‬

The Prophet g is the ideal role model for believers to follow in every
single aspect of their lives; personal, social, communal, economic, and
political. The Prophet g was a physical manifestation of the teachings of
the Quran; his life was built upon the beliefs, morals, values, and principles
mentioned in the Quran. That is why when his wife ʿĀʾishah i was asked
regarding his character she replied, “His character was the Quran.”13 The
Prophet g had the most noble character and manners; he was extremely
kind, gentle, caring, friendly, affable, generous, compassionate, patient,

10 al-Tirmidhī, k. al-ʿilm ʿan rasūlillah g, b. mā jāʾa fī al-akdh bi al-sunnah wa ijtināb al-bidaʿi,

2677
11 al-Haythamī, Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid, 177
12 Quran, 33:21
13 al-Bukhārī, al-Adab al-Mufrad, 308

7
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

forbearing, forgiving, brave, humble, and simple. He dealt with people in

the most beautiful way possible. Allah c praises him in the Quran saying,
“And you are surely on an excellent standard of character.”14
That is why scholars of hadīth are seen in every single generation striving,
struggling, and giving importance to preserving and reviving the Sunnah of
the Prophet g. It is through their tireless efforts that almost every single
aspect of the life of the Prophet g has been preserved. This effort started
with the Companions of the Prophet g and continues till this day.

14 Quran, 68:4

8
 2
‘ULUM
AL-HADITH
—
THE SCIENCES
OF HADITH

B efore approaching the study of any discipline, it is part of the Islamic

scholarly tradition to first discuss a few preliminary remarks regarding
that discipline. These preliminary remarks are called the mabādiʾ, which
are the definition, subject matter, purpose, and objective of the discipline
itself. The mabādiʾ allow a student to approach the subject with a very basic
understanding and outline of what is going to be studied.

DEFINITION
ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth is a compound phrase made up of two words: ʿulūm and
al-ḥadīth. ʿUlūm is the plural of the word ʿilm, which is usually translated as
knowledge or science. In this context, it is referring to the studies associated
with a specific subject matter. The word ḥadīth is used to refer to a statement,
action, tacit approval, or characteristic attributed to the Prophet g. ʿUlūm
al-Ḥadīth can thus be translated as Ḥadīth Studies or the Sciences of Ḥadīth.
ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth is a branch of knowledge that deals with the study of
the sayings, actions, tacit approvals, and characteristics of the Prophet g in
terms of their transmission and understanding. Transmission refers to how
these reports were passed on from generation to generation, both orally as
well as through writing. Understanding refers to what lessons, morals, and

9
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

rules can be extracted from the narrations. There are two main branches of
ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth:

1. ʿilm riwāyah al-ḥadīth (‫)علم رواية الحديث‬

2. ʿilm dirāyah al-ḥadīth (‫)علم دراية الحديث‬

ʿIlm riwāyah al-ḥadīth, knowledge of ḥadīth transmission, deals with

the actual preservation, transmission, reporting, and narration of ḥadīth.
This is the aspect of Ḥadīth Studies that focuses on the various classifications
of ḥadīth, such as according to the number of narrators, according to how it
was transmitted, according to who said it, according to acceptance and non-
acceptance, according to continuity of the chain, according to breaks in the
chain, etc. It has been defined as the branch of knowledge through which the
reality of the narration, its conditions, how it is connected or broken, and the
conditions of the narrators are known.15 It analyzes the chain and its
narrators to determine the authenticity of the narration. It is through this
branch of knowledge that the ḥadīth of the Prophet g have been preserved
and safeguarded from any alterations and fabrications. It is also known as
Uṣūl al-Ḥadīth and Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīth (Ḥadīth Terminology). It played a
major role in the preservation of Islam. This branch of knowledge is also
something that is unique to Islam. It is a unique contribution to the social
sciences for preserving and verifying any reports attributed to the Prophet
g. No other religion has developed anything as complex or sophisticated.
ʿIlm dirāyah al-ḥadīth, knowledge of understanding ḥadīth, deals with
understanding the meanings of the ḥadīth: what do the words themselves
mean, what are the intended meanings, what lessons, morals, guidance, and
rulings can be understood from them, etc.16 In other words, this branch of
Ḥadīth Studies deals with understanding the actual text itself.

SUBJECT MATTER
The subject matter is primarily two things, which are the two components
of every ḥadīth:

15 ‫هو علم يعرف به حقيقة الرواية و رشوطها و كيفية االتصال و االنقطاع و حال الرواة و ما يتصل بذلك‬
16 ‫هو علم يبحث فيه عن املعنى املفهوم من ألفاظ الحديث و عن املعنى املراد منها مبنيا عىل قواعد العربية و ضوابط الرشعية و‬
‫مطابقا ألحوال النبي صىل الله عليه وسلم‬

10
 CHAPTER 2: ‘ULUM AL-HADITH

1. the chain of transmission (sanad)

2. the text (matn) of the ḥadīth

The sanad is the chain of narrators that connects the narrators of the
ḥadīth, such as al-Bukhārī r, back to the Prophet g. The matn is the actual
text of the narration.

Example:
َ َ َ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ ُ َ َ َّ َ
‫ قال‬،‫بن َجعف ٍر‬ ُ ‫ِيل‬ ‫ قال َح َّدث َنا إِسماع‬، ِ‫الربِيع‬
َّ ‫ان أبُو‬ ‫حدثنا سليم‬
َ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ َ َ َ َّ َ
‫ عن أ ِب‬،ِ‫ عن أبِيه‬،‫يل‬ ٍ ‫بن أ ِب عم ٍِر أبو سه‬ ِ ‫حدثنا ناف ِع بن مال ِِك‬
َ ٌ َ َ ُ ‫‏ "آيَ ُة‬:‫ب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم قَ َال‬ َ ‫ُه َر‬
ّ َّ‫ َعن انل‬،َ‫يرة‬
‫الم َناف ِِق ثالث إِذا‬ ِ ِ ِ
17 َ َ َ ُ َ ََ َ َ َ َ َ
"‫ ِإَوذا اؤت ِمن خان‬،‫ ِإَوذا َو َع َد أخلف‬،‫َح َّدث كذ َب‬

The sanad of this ḥadīth is: Imām al-Bukhārī said that Sulaymān Abū al-
Rabīʿ narrated to us, who said that Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, who said
that Nāfiʿ ibn Mālik ibn Abī ʿĀmir Abū Suhayl narrated to us, from his father,
from Abū Hurayrah, from the Prophet g who said: “The signs of a hypocrite
are three: whenever he speaks he lies, whenever he makes a promise he
breaks it, and whenever he is trusted with something he breaks the trust.”18

PURPOSE
The purpose of studying ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth is to understand and appreci-
ate the transmission, preservation, and proper understanding of the aḥādīth
of the Prophet g.

OBJECTIVE
The main objective behind studying any Islamic Science is to attain the
pleasure of Allah c in order to be successful in this life and the next.

17 The sanad (chain) is in grey and the matn (text) is in black.

18 al-Bukhārī, k. al-adab, b. qawlillah yā ayuha allathīna āmanū ittaqu Allah wa kūnū maʿ al-
ṣādiqīn, 6095

11
 3
PRESERVATION &
COMPILATION
OF HADITH

T he Quran is the only revealed scripture that has been guaranteed

protection by Allah c. Allah c Himself took the responsibility
of preserving the Quran. He says, “Indeed, it is We who sent down the
Remembrance and indeed, We will be its guardian.”19 Allah c has promised
to protect the Quran from any distortions, discrepancies, and additions or
deletions. This divine protection extends to the aḥādīth of the Prophet g as
well. That is why there have been efforts to preserve and record the Prophetʾs
narrations since the earliest days of Islam until today. The care and attention
to minute details given in the preservation and compilation of ḥadīth is
unparalleled.
The preservation and compilation of ḥadīth passed through four primary
stages:

1. the life of the Prophet g

2. the era of the Companions j
3. the era of the Successors s
4. the era of structured or formal compilation

19 Quran 15:9

13
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

THE ERA OF THE PROPHET g

During the life of the Prophet g, the learning and teaching of aḥādīth
was highly encouraged. The Prophet g employed multiple methods to
ensure that his teachings were learned, preserved, and passed on, such as
establishing informal schools and providing encouragement and motivation
by mentioning the virtues, rewards, and blessings associated with learning.
The Prophet g established a number of informal schools throughout
Madīnah and wherever else he g would send his Companions to teach.
For example, before migration, the Prophet g sent Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr and
Ibn Umm Maktūm k to Madīnah as teachers. After arriving in Madīnah,
one of the first things the Prophet g did was establish his mosque, which
served as an informal school. He also appointed one of his Companions,
ʿAbdullāh ibn Saʿīd ibn al-ʿĀṣ h, to teach people how to write. Oftentimes
when delegations would come to Madīnah, he g would appoint a certain
Companion to teach them the details of Islam. Similarly, the Prophet g sent
a number of his Companions j to other places where people had become
Muslim to teach them their religion. All of this created an environment of
learning and teaching the sunnah of the Prophet g.
The Prophet g also encouraged his Companions to learn and preserve
his teachings. There are numerous narrations from the Prophet g that
encouraged the companions to learn and teach ḥadīth by mentioning its
rewards, virtues, and blessings. The following are a few examples:

• The Messenger of Allah g said: “May Allah cause a slave (of His) to
flourish, the one who hears my words and understands them, then
he conveys them from me. There are those who have knowledge but
lack understanding, and there may be those who convey knowledge
to those who may have more understanding than they do.”20

َ َ َ َّ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ َّ ‫ض‬
ً ‫الل َع‬ َ َّ َ‫ن‬
‫بدا َس ِم َع َمقال ِت ف َو َعها ث َّم بَلغ َها ع ِّن ف ُر َّب‬
َ َ َُ َ َ َ َ
ُ ‫فق ُه م‬
‫ِنه‬ ‫ري فقِي ٍه َو ُر َّب َحام ِِل ف ِق ٍه إِل من هو أ‬
ِ ‫حام ِِل ف ِق ٍه غ‬
َ

• The Prophet g said, “Convey from me, even if it is one verse of the

20 Ibn Mājah, k. al-Muqaddimah, 242

14
 CHAPTER 3: PRESERVATION & COMPILATION OF HADITH

Quran…”21

ً َ َ ُّ
‫بَل ِغوا ع ِّن َولو آيَة‬

• The Messenger of Allah g delivered a sermon on the Day of Slaugh-

ter said: “Let those who are present convey to those who are absent.
Maybe the one to whom it is conveyed to will understand it better
than the one who (first) heard it.”22

َ ََ َّ َ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َ ُ َّ َّ َ َّ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ
:‫حر فقال‬ِ ‫خطب رسول اللِ ـ صل الل عليهِ وسلم ـ يوم َ انل‬
َ َ ُ َّ َّ َّ َ َ َ ُ َّ ّ َ ُ
‫ب فإِن ُه ُر َّب ُم َبل ٍغ ُي َبلغ ُه أوع ُل مِن‬ِ ‫‏لبل ِغِ الشاهِد الغائ‬
ِ"
"‫َسام ٍِع‬

• Ibn ʿAbbās k narrated that the Prophet g said, “O Allah! Have

mercy upon my successors.” We said, “And who are your successors,
O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Those who narrate my ḥadīth and
teach them to the people.”23

َّ َ َ ‫ َو َمن ُخلَ َف‬:‫لنا‬َ ُ‫ِرح ْم ُخلَ َفائي!" ق‬ َّ

َ ‫"الل ُه َّم ا‬
‫اؤك يَا َر ُسول اللِ؟‬ ِ
"‫اس‬
َ َُُّ َ
َ َّ‫ون َها انل‬ ‫ِيث و يعل ِم‬ ‫د‬ ‫ا‬‫ح‬َ َ‫ون أ‬
َ َُْ َ
‫ "اذلِين يرو‬:‫قال‬
َ َ
ِ
The Prophet g also encouraged his Companions j to learn and teach
by mentioning the numerous rewards, blessings, and virtues associated with
the noble acts of learning and teaching. The following are just a few examples:

• The Prophet g said, “Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every

single Muslim.”24

ُّ ََ ٌ َ َ ُ َ َ
‫ك ُمسل ٍِم‬
ِ ‫طلب العِل ِم ف ِريضة ع‬

21 al-Bukhārī, k. aḥadīth al-anbiyāʾ, b. mā dhukira ʿan banī isrāʾīl, 3461

22 Ibn Mājah, k. al-muqaddimah, 239
23 al-Mundhirī, al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb, 87
24 Ibn Mājah, k. al-Muqaddimah, 229

15
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

• “Whoever travels a path seeking knowledge, Allah c makes the path

to Paradise easy for them.”25

َ ً َ ُ َّ َ َّ َ ً ً َ َ َ َ َ
َ َ‫يقا ي‬
‫الل ُل َطرِيقا إِل‬ ‫لت ِم ُس فِيهِ عِلما سهل‬ ِ‫من سلك طر‬
َِّ‫اجلنة‬
َ

• “Whoever travels a path seeking knowledge is in the path of Allah c

until they return.”26

َ َّ َ َّ َ ََ َ َ َ َ َ َ
‫ج َع‬
ِ ‫يل اللِ حت ير‬
ِ ِ ‫ب ال ِعل ِم فهو ِف سب‬
ِ ‫من خرج ِف طل‬

TEACHING METHODS OF THE PROPHET g

One of the many roles of the Prophet g was that of a teacher, and as a
teacher he employed several different methods of teaching. The Prophet g
ensured that his Sunnah would be preserved using three primary methods of
teaching:

1. speaking
2. practical demonstration
3. writing

1. VERBAL TEACHING
This was the most widespread and common method of teaching during
the time of the Prophet g. There were numerous Companions of the Prophet
g who were engaged in learning, memorizing, and teaching aḥādīth. These
individuals were gifted with amazing memories. An average person would
have thousands of lines of poetry memorized. A number of people would
have their own lineages memorized along with the lineages of their horses.
The Arabs had a very strong oral tradition of poetry and storytelling that
enhanced their ability to memorize.

25 al-Tirmidhī, k. al-ʿilm ʿan rasūl Allah c, b. mā jāʾ fī fadl talab al-ʿilm, 2646
26 al-Tirmidhī, k. al-ʿilm ʿan rasūl Allah c, b. mā jāʾ fī fadl talab al-ʿilm, 2647

16
 CHAPTER 3: PRESERVATION & COMPILATION OF HADITH

There is an amazing incident narrated regarding the unique memory of

Abū Hurayrah h. Once the governor of Madīnah, Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam,
wanted to test Abū Hurayrahʾs memory to see how strong it really was and
how accurate he was in narrating ḥadīth. So he invited Abū Hurayrah h and
asked him to narrate a number of aḥādīth. He asked a scribe to hide behind
a curtain and write down whatever Abū Hurayrah h narrated. Then a year
later he invited him again and asked him to narrate the exact same aḥādīth he
had narrated the year before. Marwān again had the scribe hide behind the
curtain and write down everything Abū Hurayrah h narrated. Afterwards,
they compared the two dictations and found that they were exactly the same!
Not a single word was added, deleted, or changed around.
It is no surprise or shock that the Companions would memorize the
exact words of the Prophet g, given that he encouraged them to do so.
They used to listen to every single word of the Prophet g with the utmost
care and attention. They used to learn both the Quran and ḥadīth from the
Prophet g, mostly in the Prophetʾs mosque. When the Prophet g would
step out, they would review amongst themselves. Anas h narrated, “We sat
with the Prophet g, maybe sixty people in number, and the Prophet g
taught us ḥadīth. Later, when he went out for any need, we used to memorize
it amongst ourselves. When we left, it was as if we had cultivated it in our
hearts.”27
Also, when the Prophet g would speak, he would speak clearly and au-
dibly, often repeating important things thrice. Oftentimes he would listen to
what the Companions j had learned. Even the Companions who were un-
able to attend these gatherings would learn the aḥadīth from those who were
present. ʿUmar h narrated, “A neighbor of mine and I used to take turns
attending sessions with the Messenger of Allah g. He would attend one day
and I would the next, and then we informed one another of the events of that
day and any new revelation that might have been communicated.”28

2. PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION
Another way in which the Companions learned and taught ḥadīth was
through practical demonstration. Oftentimes, the Prophet g would do
something and tell the Companions j to do it the same way. For example,

27 al-Khaṭīb, al-Jāmiʿ, 43a

28 al-Bukhārī, k. al-nikāh, b. mawʾidhah al-rajul ibnatahu lihāl zawjīhā, 5191

17
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

the Prophet g showed the Companions how to perform wuḍūʾ and pray. He
would say, “Pray like you see me praying.”29 He g showed the Companions
how to perform the rites of ḥajj and said, “Learn the rituals of ḥajj from me.”30

3. WRITING
Another way of teaching ḥadīth during the time of the Prophet g was
through writing them down. Recording ḥadīth was a normal practice from
the time of migration until the Prophet g left this world. Writing ḥadīth
was also a practice before migration, but it was not as common. There were a
number of Companions involved in writing down the aḥadīth of the Prophet
g. Sometimes the Prophet g would dictate what to write to them. There
were some who recorded three or four narrations, others who had recorded
hundreds, and yet others who had recorded even thousands.
There is a very common misconception that the aḥadīth of the Prophet
g were not documented until approximately 100 to 200 years after he g
left this world. The common claim is that aḥadīth were transmitted orally for
about 100 years after the death of the Prophet g, until the time of the Caliph
ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. He then appointed Abū Bakr ibn Muḥammad ibn
ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm al-Zuhrī, and others to collect ḥadīth and record them. This is
the claim of a number of orientalists and western academics. Unfortunately,
this claim has also crept into some circles within the Muslim community
who then use it to outright reject the Sunnah or its authority, status, and
value. This claim is absolutely false and is based on a lack of knowledge and
ignorance of the early literary history of aḥadīth, their preservation, and
their compilation.

MISUNDERSTANDING REGARDING THE WRITING OF

HADITH
One of the reasons why orientalists, western academics, and some
uninformed Muslims claim that the aḥadīth were not recorded during the
life of the Prophet g is because of a particular narration from Abū Saʿīd
al-Khudrī h. Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī h narrated that the Prophet g said,
“Do not write anything from me except the Quran, and whoever has written
29 al-Bukhārī, k. al-adab, b. rahmah al-nās wa al-bahāim, 6008
30 Muslim, k. al-hajj, b. istihbab ramy jamrah al-ʿaqabah yawm al-nahr rākiban, 1297

18
 CHAPTER 3: PRESERVATION & COMPILATION OF HADITH

anything from me other than the Quran should erase it.”31 This ḥadīth seems
to explicitly prohibit the recording of ḥadīth.
However, research, investigation, and consideration of all other relevant
narrations prove that this was not an absolute prohibition. This was a
prohibition mentioned by the Prophet g during the early days of Islam so
that the wording of the Quran would not become mixed with the words of
the Prophet g. In the early days of Islam, those Companions who would
write the Quran would also write the explanations and sayings of the Prophet
g on the same material, either on the margins or between the lines. Since
the Quran was being revealed and the Companions were not fully aware
of the unique style of the Quran, there was a worry that the two would be
mixed up. In order to prevent this confusion, the Prophet g prohibited the
Companions from writing aḥadīth on the same material as the Quran. There
was never an absolute prohibition for writing down ḥadīth. As a matter of
fact, there is clear evidence that proves the Prophet g not only allowed for
his ḥadīth to be written, but also encouraged it.

EXAMPLES OF WRITING AHADITH DURING THE LIFE OF

THE PROPHET g
There are several narrations that prove that the Prophet g had given
permission for his aḥadīth to be written down. The following are a few
examples:

• It is narrated that once the Prophet g said, “Capture (preserve)

knowledge.” ʿAbdullāh h asked, “How do you capture it?” The
Prophet g said, “By writing.”32
• ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀs h asked, “May I write all that I hear?”
The Prophet g said, “Yes.” “When you are calm and when you are
angry?” The Prophet g pointed to his mouth and said, “Write, for
by The One in whose Hand is my soul nothing comes out from it
except the truth.”33

31 Muslim, k. al-zuhd wa al-raqāʾiq, b. al-tathabbut fī al-ḥadīth wa hukm kitābah al-ʿilm

32 al-Bayhaqī, al-madkhal ila al-sunan al-kubrā, 238
33 Abū Dāwūd, k. al-ʿilm, b. fī kitābah al-ʿilm, 3646

19
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

• Abū Hurayrah h narrated, “There was a man among the Anṣār34

who would sit with the Messenger of Allah g and listen to the
aḥadīth of the Prophet g, and he was amazed by them but he could
not remember them. So he complained about that to the Messenger
of Allah g. He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! I listen to your aḥadīth
and I am amazed but I cannot remember them.’ So the Messenger of
Allah g said: ‘Help yourself with your right hand’ and he motioned
with his hand as if writing.”35

In addition to that, there are several examples and instances during the
life of the Prophet g of aḥadīth being written down and recorded. There
were a number of Companions who had their own private and person-
al ḥadīth collections. The personal collection of a Companion was called a
ṣaḥīfah, or booklet. As paper was scarce these small booklets were made of
papyrus, parchment, palm fronds, or any other material on which it was con-
venient to write. They can be thought of as the personal notes of individual
Companions. The following are a few examples:

• One of the best-known collections of ḥadīth that was written during

the time of the Prophet g was al-Ṣaḥīfah al-Ṣādiqah (the Truthful
Collection) by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ h. As mentioned
above, he was one of the Companions that would record the sayings
of the Prophet g. It is narrated that he would write down everything
he heard the Prophet g say. Some Companions even objected to
how much he would write and told him that he should not write
everything he heard from the Prophet g. Abū Hurayrah h said,
“None of the Companions of the Prophet g has taken more ḥadīth
from him than me except for ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr. He used to write
and I did not.”36
ʿAbdullāh h himself named this collection al-Ṣaḥīfah al-
Ṣādiqah. Mujāhid r narrates: “I saw a ṣaḥīfah with ʿAbdullāh ibn
ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ h so I asked him about it. He said, ‘This is truthful.
In it is what I heard directly from the Prophet g with no one

34 The Companions that were native to the city of Madinah

35 al-Tirmidhī, kitāb al-ʿilm ʿan rasūl Allah g, b. mā jāʾa fī rukhsati fīhi, 2666
36 al-Tirmidhī, kitāb al-ʿilm ʿan rasūl Allah g, b. mā jāʾa fī rukhsati fīhi, 3841

20
 CHAPTER 3: PRESERVATION & COMPILATION OF HADITH

between me and him.’” His personal collection contained more than

1,000 aḥadīth and its contents have been quoted almost entirely in
the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal r. This ṣaḥīfah is described
as the most reliable historical document to prove the writing of
ḥadīth during the Prophetʾs lifetime. It was passed on in his family
from generation to generation. His great-grandson, the famous
muḥaddith37 ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb used to teach aḥadīth from it.
• ʿAlī h also had his own personal collection, or ṣaḥīfah, of aḥadīth
that he had written down from the Prophet g. Abū Juḥayfah said, “I
asked ʿAlī h, ʿDo you have anything written down from the Prophet
g?ʾ He said, ʿWe did not write anything down from the Prophet g
except for the Quran and what is in this ṣaḥīfah.ʾ”
• Anas ibn Mālik k also wrote down ḥadīth in a ṣaḥīfah that he
used to carry around and show to his students. One of his students
mentioned that when we used to insist that he teach us some
aḥadīth, he would take out some notebooks and say, “This is what I
have heard from the Messenger of Allah g, so I wrote it down and
read it to him.”
• There is also the ṣaḥīfah of ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm h. When the Prophet
g sent him as a zakāh collector to Najrān, he gave him a document
consisting of the rulings of prayer, zakāh, ḥajj, ʿumrah, jihād, spoils
of war, and several other subjects. Most of these narrations were
incorporated into later works such as the Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik
and the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad.
• There is also the ṣaḥīfah of Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah h. He used to
document the sayings and Sunnah of the Prophet g and his son
used to narrate ḥadīth from it.

The above is just a small sample of written records from the time of
the Prophet g that prove that aḥadīth were written during his lifetime. In
Studies in Early Ḥadīth Literature, from which the above is taken, Dr. Azami
lists fifty Companions from whom there are records of their own personal
writings or students writing from them.

37 A scholar of ḥadīth

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

THE ERA OF THE COMPANIONS j

The written preservation of ḥadīth carried on during the time of the
Companions j and became more widespread and popular. After the
Prophet g left this world the Companions j took on the responsibility of
teaching people their religion. During their time, Islam spread far and wide
and centers of learning were established all across the Muslim world. Com-
panions were sent, officially and unofficially, to different towns and cities to
teach people the Quran and Sunnah. Each of these Companions would have
their own informal gatherings in local mosques where they would narrate
what they heard and saw from the Prophet g. Oftentimes the Companions
would have what they had memorized from the Prophet g written down
and would pass it on to their students. The following are just a few examples:

• Abū Hurayrah h narrated the most aḥādīth from the Prophet g.

He has narrated approximately 5,374 aḥādīth. During this era either
he himself wrote or had someone else write down all that he had
memorized. He is reported to have several books of ḥadīth in his
possession.
For example, one of his students, Ḥasan ibn ʿAmr, read a ḥadīth
to him and said I heard this ḥadīth from you. Abū Hurayrah h told
him that if you have heard it from me then I have it written down.
So Abū Hurayrah h took him by the hand to his house and showed
him a number of books of ḥadīth that were in his possession and
they found that particular ḥadīth.
There are at least nine of his students who wrote aḥadīth from
him compiling their own personal ḥadīth books. The most famous
of these is the ṣaḥīfah collection of Hammām ibn Munabbih (d.
101). He was a student of Abū Hurayrah h and used to write down
aḥadīth from him. This collection is known as al-Ṣaḥīfah al-Ṣaḥīḥah
and two manuscripts of it have been found in Berlin and Damascus
and were found to be almost identical. This is probably the oldest
book of ḥadīth that is available today. This collection consists of 138
aḥadīth. Imām Aḥmad r collected most of it in his Musnad and
some of the aḥadīth from it have also been narrated in al-Bukhārī
and Muslim.

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 CHAPTER 3: PRESERVATION & COMPILATION OF HADITH

• Ibn ʿUmar k narrated 2,630 aḥadīth, the second most after Abū
Hurayrah h. There are authentic reports that he had a written
collection of ḥadīth and at least eight of his students wrote aḥadīth
from him.
• Anas ibn Mālik h narrated 2,286 aḥadīth. At least sixteen people
collected aḥadīth from him in written form.
• Umm al-Muʾminīn, the mother of the believers, ʿĀʾishah h narrated
2,210 aḥadīth. There were at least three individuals who wrote
aḥadīth from her including her nephew ʿUrwah r and ʿAmrah bint
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.
• 1,660 aḥadīth have reached us from ibn ʿAbbās k. There were at
least nine of his students who recorded ḥadīth from him. He used to
tell his students, “Capture knowledge by writing (‫)قيدوا العلم بالكتابة‬.” It
has been narrated that at the time of his death he had so many
booklets of aḥadīth that they could be loaded on a camel.

The list of Companions who had written compilations of aḥadīth and

used to dictate them to their students can go on and on. Dr. Azami writes, “In
the light of the above mentioned facts, it is quite safe to assume that probably
most of the aḥadīth of the Prophetg, if not all, came to be written during
the life of the Companions j.” This era lasted from after the Prophet g left
this world until the early to mid-first century.

THE ERA OF THE SUCCESSORS s

(LATE 1ST CENTURY – EARLY 2ND CENTURY)
Starting from the time of ʿUmar h and on the Muslim world had grown
quite large and the Companions of the Prophet g had travelled to a num-
ber of distant places as teachers of the Quran and Sunnah. As the Compan-
ions j were slowly leaving this world a concern grew that the aḥadīth of
the Prophet g should be gathered and compiled from all across the Muslim
world. In response to this concern the recording and collecting of ḥadīth was
officially sanctioned by the Caliph ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz r who passed
away in the year 101. He sent a directive to the governor of Madinah, Abū
Bakr ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm r (d. 117), “Look for the knowl-
edge of ḥadīth and get it written, as I am afraid that religious knowledge

23
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

will vanish and the religious learned men will pass away (die). Do not ac-
cept anything except the aḥādīth of the Prophet g. Circulate knowledge and
teach the ignorant, for knowledge does not vanish except when it is kept
secretly (to oneself).” A similar directive was sent to governors across the
Muslim world where it was known that the Companions of the Prophet g
had settled down. These collections were sent to Damascus, where the head
of the Caliphate (Khilāfah) was located. Copies were then made and spread
throughout the Muslim world.
One of the main figures who played a large role in this was the great
scholar Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī r (d. 124) from the
city of Madīnah. He was one of the teachers of Imām Mālik r. He respond-
ed to this call with great enthusiasm and attempted the first major collection
of ḥadīth. He prepared a collection of ḥadīth that came to be known as his
dafātir (registers). His method of writing was subject-oriented and consisted
of a separate book on each subject such as, prayer, fasting, and zakāh. In
these collections he also gathered the sayings of Companions and Successors.
This literally marked the beginning of the extensive ḥadīth collections
that were later compiled in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Near the end of the
first century a number of ḥadīth collections were prepared and in circulation.
The following are a few examples:

• The collections of Abū Bakr ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm r
(d. 117).
• The Risālah (Booklet) of Sālim ibn ʿAbdullah regarding ṣadaqah.
• The Dafātir (Registers) of Imām Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihāb
Al-Zuhrī r (d. 124).
• Kitāb al-Sunan of Makḥūl r.

COMPILATION AND PRESERVATION

IN THE LATE 2ND CENTURY
The effort of gathering and compiling narrations from the Prophet g
continued throughout the 2nd century with great enthusiasm and fervor. The
early years of the 2nd century produced ḥadīth works that were similar to that
of al-Zuhrī’s in style and structure. The later part of the century witnessed
writings in ḥadīth that were different in style and format. For example, the

24
 CHAPTER 3: PRESERVATION & COMPILATION OF HADITH

newer collections were now compiled in single volumes divided by subject

matter. However, the ḥadīth scholars continued to include the sayings and
fatāwā (legal verdicts) of the Companions and the Successors. This can be
seen in the Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik and the Musnad of Imām al-Shāfiʿī. This
was also the era of the development and codification of fiqh. It was during
this time that three of the four major schools of law were born.
The following are a few examples of works that were produced during the
late 2nd century.

• Kitāb al-Āthār of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah r (d. 148) - This is the only
work of ḥadīth compiled by Imām Abū Ḥanīfah r himself. Known
as the “Greatest Imām,” he was the leading jurist of Kūfah to whom
the Ḥanafī school of thought is attributed.
• The Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik r (d. 179) - Imām Mālik r was a
master of both ḥadīth and fiqh. This is the most well-known early
collection of ḥadīth whose contents are organized according to the
chapters of fiqh. It contains aḥadīth of the Prophet g, legal opin-
ions of the Companions j, the Successors and some later author-
ities as well.
• The Musnad of Imām al-Shāfiʿī (r, d. 204) - He was the student of
Imām Mālik r as well as Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī r,
the famous student of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah r.
• The Sunan of Ibn Jurayj r (d. 150) - He is considered to be from
amongst the students of the Successors (Tabʿ al-Tabiʿīn). He was the
student of ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ r (d. 115), who was the student of
ibn ʿAbbās and ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar j.
• Muṣannaf of Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarrāḥ r (d. 196) - He was one of the stu-
dents of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah r and one of the well-known teachers
of Imām al-Shāfiʿī r.
• The Jāmiʿ of Maʿmar ibn Rāshid r (d. 154) - He was a student of
Ḥammām ibn Munabbih (d. 101) and the teacher of ʿAbd al-Razzāq,
the compiler of the famous Muṣannaf.
• The Muṣannaf of Ḥammād ibn Salamah r (d. 167) in Basrah - He
was also from amongst the students of the Successors (Tabiʿ al-
Tabiʿīn).
• The Jāmiʿ of Sufyān al-Thawrī r (d. 160) from Kufah.

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

• The Jāmiʿ of Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah r (d. 198)

• Kitāb al-Āthār of Imām Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan al-Shaybānī r (d.
189)

PRESERVATION AND COMPILATION

IN THE 3RD CENTURY
This era marked a new phase in the development and documentation of
ḥadīth. One of the most distinctive features of this period was to separate the
aḥadīth of the Prophet g from the sayings of the Companions and Succes-
sors. The ḥadīth compilers of this era on the whole observed the principles of
Uṣūl al-Ḥadīth that had already gained recognition and the methodological
guidelines that were developed. This was the era in which Ḥadīth Studies
flourished and books on different disciplines were written.
It was in the second half of this century that the six most famous and
well-recognized books of ḥadīth were compiled: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ
Muslim, Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Sunan ibn Mājah, and Sunan al-
Nasāʾī. These books make up the six canonical books of ḥadīth known as
al-Ṣiḥaḥ al-Sittah (The Six Authentic Books) or al-Kutub al-Sittah (The Six
Books). Other famous works that were produced in this century include:

• Muṣannaf of ʿAbd al-Razzāq r (d. 211) - This is a collection of ḥadīth

organized according to the chapters of fiqh. It is a very well-known
ḥadīth collection and it has been published as well.
• Muṣannaf of Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah r (d. 235) – He was one
of the teachers of both Imām al-Bukhārī and Imām Muslim. This
collection is also organized according to the chapters of fiqh and has
been published.
• Musnad of Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal r (d. 241) - Contains about
40,000 narrations from 700 Companions j. It is organized based
on the companion that narrated the hadīth.

Through the tireless effort of the luminaries of the first three centuries
of Islam, the Sunnah of the Prophet g was gathered, analyzed, organized,
codified, and preserved for future generations. Many of these works have

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 CHAPTER 3: PRESERVATION & COMPILATION OF HADITH

been passed on from generation to generation and are still read, studied,
explained, and commented on in seminaries and universities throughout the
world.

27
 4

HADITH
LITERATURE
E ach generation had its own unique circumstances, interests, and culture
that influenced the scholars of ḥadīth and how they would organize their
works. Every successive generation produced works building off the efforts
of the previous generation that were more refined and organized. Ḥadīth
scholars would organize the narrations they compiled in several different
ways. As a result of these efforts and refinements a number of different
genres of ḥadīth literature were produced. This chapter will examine the
most common genres of ḥadīth literature.

AL-SAHIFAH
Al-Ṣaḥīfah, translated as a booklet, is a term used to refer to very early
rudimentary collections of ḥadīth. These collections marked the earliest
stage in the documentation of ḥadīth. A number of Companions j had
their own personal ṣaḥīfah. For example, as mentioned earlier ʿAbdullāh ibn
ʿAmr ibn Al-ʿĀṣ k had a collection he called al-Ṣaḥīfah al-Ṣādiqah and the
Ṣaḥīfah of ʿAlī h.
These small booklets would have consisted of papyrus, parchment
(tanned animal skins), or palm fronds. Usually, these were not public
documents; they were the private notes of individual Companions j. In

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

these personal collections aḥadīth were simply recorded without any order or
classification. These collections started during the lifetime of the Prophet g
and continued until the early second century.

AL-MUSANNAF
Al-Muṣannaf is the title used to describe a ḥadīth collection that has been
organized by topic. These collections are considered to be the first organized
works of Islamic Scholarship. The Muṣannaf did not focus exclusively on the
aḥadīth of the Prophet g. Rather they are collections of aḥadīth, sayings
and rulings of Companions as well us some successors organized by subject
matter. In these collections aḥadīth belonging to particular themes were
classified under separate titles and chapters. They were arranged into chapters
dealing with different legal or ritual questions. They can be thought of as
early works on Islamic Law that represent the diversity of sources from which
legal and doctrinal answers could be sought during the first two centuries of
Islam. They served as an important resource for later ḥadīth literature. This
genre of ḥadīth literature started around the middle of the 2nd century. The
most famous collections in this genre are the Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik r (d.
179), the Muṣannaf of ʿAbd al-Razzāq r (d. 211) and the Muṣannaf of Ibn Abī
Shaybah r (d. 235). All three of these have been published and are available
today.

AL-MUSNAD
A musnad is a collection organized according to isnād, or the chain of
narrators. For example, all the aḥadīth narrated from a certain Companion
would fall into one chapter, and then all those narrated from another in the
next and so on. So all the aḥadīth that were narrated by one Companion,
regardless of subject matter, were put under his or her name.
The musnad compilers differed in their arrangement of names of
Companions. Some of them begin with the four rightly guided Caliphs,
followed by the remaining six who had been given the glad tidings of
Paradise. Some are organized alphabetically.
In these collections greater attention was paid to the chain of narrators.
The main purpose of a musnad was to compile the largest amount of ḥadīth

30
 CHAPTER 4: HADITH LITERATURE

for the sake of preservation and record. That is why they are considered to
be encyclopedic and reference works. This genre of ḥadīth literature started
during the latter half of the 2nd century. The most well-known is the Musnad
of Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (r, d. 241).

AL-JAMI’
Jāmiʿ is the title given to a ḥadīth collection that includes all of the major
topics or subjects addressed in the aḥadīth of the Prophet g. There are eight
primary topics or subjects covered in the aḥadīth of the Prophet g:

1. ʿAqāʾid (Beliefs/Creed)
2. Aḥkām (Legal Rulings)
3. Siyar (History and Biography of the Prophet)
4. Ādāb (Social Etiquette)
5. Tafsīr (Quranic Exegesis)
6. Ashrāṭ (Signs of the Day of Judgment)
7. Fitan (Trials and Tribulations)
8. Manāqib (Virtues of the Companions).

A typical Jāmiʿ would include chapters on each of these subjects.

This genre of ḥadīth literature is considered to be the most comprehensive
approach in terms of collection because of the broad range of topics it covers.
It started during the third century. The collections of Imām al-Bukhārī,
Imām Muslim, and Imām al-Tirmidhī r are considered to be amongst the
jawāmiʿ because they contain aḥadīth on all eight of these subjects.
Within this genre and time period there was a new focus on producing
collections of aḥadīth with an emphasis on authenticity. They focused on
including those aḥadīth that they considered or deemed to be authentic.
The first to produce ḥadīth collections devoted only to narrations whose
asānīd (chains) they felt met the requirements of authenticity were Imām
Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī (d. 256) and Imām Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj
al-Naysābūrī (d. 261). Their works are known as the ṣaḥīḥayn, or the two
authentic collections and are without a doubt the two most famous ḥadīth
collections in existence.
It is important to note that the term ṣaḥīḥayn is not used in the exclusive

31
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

sense; there are ṣaḥīḥ aḥādīth in all the other major collections. Also, it was
not their intention to compile every single ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth in existence nor did
they make that a condition upon themselves.

SUNAN
A sunan is a ḥadīth collection that is organized according to the well-
known chapters of fiqh or Islamic Jurisprudence. For example, ṭahārah
(purification), ṣalāh (prayer), zakāh (obligatory charity), ṣawm (fasting),
ḥajj (pilgrimage), nikāḥ (marriage), ṭalāq (divorce) and buyūʿ (transactions).
The Book of Ṭahārah will then have separate chapters for wuḍūʾ (ablution),
tayammum (dry ablution) and ghusl (purificatory bath).
Works that fall under this category consist of those aḥādīth that are used
to derive legal rulings, which are known as aḥādīth al-aḥkām (‫)أحاديث األحكام‬.
This genre of ḥadīth literature also became popular in the 3rd century. The
most famous sunan collections are:

• The Sunan of Abū Dāwūd

• The Sunan of al-Nasāʾī
• The Sunan of Ibn Mājah

All three of these are considered to be part of the “Six Books” or the six
canonical collections of ḥadīth.

AL-MUJAM
A muʿjam is a ḥadīth collection in which the contents appear in
alphabetical order under the names of the narrators and their teachers or the
cities and tribes to which the narrators belong. The collection can be organized
alphabetically according to the names of the companions, teachers, or
certain narrators. An example of this is al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by Abū al-Qāsim
Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad al-Ṭabarānī. This genre of ḥadīth literature appeared
after the sunans in the late 3rd century.

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 CHAPTER 4: HADITH LITERATURE

AL-MUSTADRAK
A mustadrak is a ḥadīth collection in which the compiler has
supplemented the work of a previous compiler or compilers. Having
accepted the conditions laid down by previous compilers, the later scholar
collects other aḥādīth that they find to fulfill those conditions but have been
left out of the previous works. For example, the Mustadrak ʿala al-Ṣaḥīḥayn
of al-Ḥākim al-Naysābūrī (d. 405). He tried to collect narrations that met the
conditions of Imām al-Bukhārī and Muslim but were not included in their
works.

AL-MUSTAKHRAJ
A mustakhraj is a ḥadīth collection in which the compiler gathers the
narrations from another book with his own asānīd, or chain of narrators. The
narrations are essentially the same, but the chain of narrators is different. A
ḥadīth scholar would take an existing collection and use it as a template for
his own book; for every ḥadīth found in the template collection the author of
the mustakhraj would provide his own narration of that ḥadīth. For example,
there is a mustakhraj on Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. This genre came
about in the 4th century.

AL-JUZ’
A juzʾ is a ḥadīth collection that focuses on the narrations of one single
narrator, a companion or someone else, or a collection that focuses on
aḥādīth regarding one single theme or subject. For example, a collection that
focuses only on the narrations of Abū Bakr h would be called Juzʾ Abī Bakr.
Another example is the Juzʾ fī Qiyām al-Layl by al-Marwazī. In this collection,
he gathered those narrations that talk about qiyām al-layl, the night prayer.

AL-SHARH
One of the most important genres of ḥadīth literature that appeared later
on is a sharḥ, commentary. These commentaries were usually written on the
more well-known and widely-used ḥadīth collections.

33
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

A sharḥ serves two general purposes. First, they assist students in the
basic task of reading and understanding difficult phrases, names, and
obscure meanings embedded in the chains or texts of the narrations. Second,
they provided scholars an opportunity to elaborate in detail on any legal,
dogmatic, ritual, or historical issue they found relevant to the aḥadīth in
the books they were discussing. The vast majority of commentaries were
devoted to the books in the ḥadīth canon. The most famous of these works
are Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānīʾs r (d. 852) Fatḥ al-Bārī and Imām al-Nawawi’ʾs
commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim.
Ḥadīth commentaries continue to be written to this very day. For
example, the most famous commentary of Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī is Tuḥfah al-
Aḥwadhī (Gem of the Competent) written by the Indian Scholar ʿAbd al-
Raḥmān al-Mubārakfūrī r (1935). Similarly, the largest commentary on
the Muwaṭṭa of Imām Mālik is written by the Indian Scholar Muḥammad
Zakariyya Kāndahlawī r (1982) entitled Awjaz al-Masālik ila Muwaṭṭaʾ Mālik.
Recently Muftī Taqi Usmani completed a commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim
entitled Takmilah Fatḥ al-Mulhim, which is a completion of his teacher’s
commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim entitled Fatḥ al-Mulhim.

34
 5
WELL-KNOWN
HADITH WORKS &
THEIR COMPILERS

B y the end of the 4th century there were a number of well-known and
accepted ḥadīth collections in circulation throughout the Muslim
world. By the middle of the fourth century a selection of these books were
accepted amongst scholars and students of ḥadīth as being authoritative and
representative of the vast corpus of ḥadīth. Initially they included Ṣaḥīḥ al-
Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Sunan Abī Dāwūd, and Sunan al-Nasāʾī. After some
time the collection of Imām al-Tirmidhī was included within this list along
with the work of ibn Mājah. These six books came to be known as al-Kutub
al-Sittah or al-Ṣiḥāḥ al-Sittah. They are considered to be the six canonical
books of ḥadīth. This chapter will give a brief introduction to these famous
works and a few others along with a short biography of their authors.

MUWATTA’ OF IMAM MALIK r

The Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik is the most famous muṣannaf that is taught
and studied throughout the world today. The word muwaṭṭaʾ literally means
“the travelled path”. His full name is Mālik ibn Anas ibn Mālik ibn Abī ʿĀmir.
He was born in Madīnah in the year 92 and passed away in Madinah in the
year 179. He is one of the greatest scholars of ḥadīth and fiqh the world has
ever seen and the founder of one of the four main schools of thought. It was

35
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

said regarding him, “No fatwā is to be given while Mālik is in Madinah.”

As mentioned earlier the Muwaṭṭaʾ itself is a mixture of Prophetic ḥadīth,
the rulings of his Companions j, the practice of the scholars of Madīnah,
and his own personal opinions. It contains 1,720 reports: 527 ḥadīth, 613
statements from the Companions j, and 285 statements from the successors
and the remaining are his own. It was considered to be the most authentic
book after the Quran, before the compilation of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. He initially
started compiling this work at the request of the Abbasid Caliph Abū Jaʿfar
al-Manṣūr. He wanted Imām Mālik r to compose a comprehensive book of
law based on the Prophetʾs g Sunnah, which could then be implemented
throughout the Islamic world. But once it was completed Imām Mālik r
declined to have it endorsed as the official book on Islamic Law.38
Once Hārūn al-Rashīd told Imām Mālik that he wanted to make copies
of his Muwaṭṭaʾ, distribute them across the Muslim world and make people
follow it. Imām Mālik said, “O Leader of the Faithful. Indeed the differences
of the scholars are a mercy from Allah on this nation. Everyone follows what
is correct according to them; they are all upon guidance and they are all
sincere to Allah.” There are a number of exhaustive commentaries that were
written on this work later on. For example, al-Tamhīd by ibn ʿAbd al-Barr and
Awjaz al-Masālik ila Muwaṭṭaʾ Mālik by al-Kāndahlawī.

SAHIH AL-BUKHARI
Imām al-Bukhārī entitled his magnum opus al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ al-Musnad
al-Mukhtaṣar min Ḥadīth Rasūl Allah wa Sunanihī wa Ayyāmihī. His full name
is Abū ʿAbdillah Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Mughīrah al-
Bukhārī r. He was born in Bukhārah in the year 194 and passed away in the
year 256.
Imām al-Bukhārī r began his studies under the guidance of his mother
in his native city. After finishing his initial studies, at the age of 11, he
immersed himself in the study of ḥadīth. Within six years he had mastered
the knowledge of all the ḥadīth scholars of Bukharah as well as everything
in the books that were available to him. Not only did he memorize all the
aḥadīth but he also memorized the narrators and their biographies: the
location and dates of their birth, death, and so on.
38 Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Istidhkār

36
 CHAPTER 5: WELL-KNOWN HADITH WORKS & THEIR COMPILERS

At the age of 16 he started travelling. He travelled to Makkah with his

mother and brother to perform ḥajj and from there he started a series of
journeys as a student of knowledge. He travelled to all of the major centers
of Islamic Learning. He stayed in Basrah for four to five years and in the
Hejaz39 for six. He travelled to Egypt, Nishapur, Marw, and Baghdad. His
travels continued for nearly four decades. Within that time Imām al-Bukhārī
had gathered aḥadīth from over a thousand teachers.
Imām al-Bukhārī was blessed with an amazing memory. Once when he
arrived in Baghdad the scholars gathered there to test his famous memory.
They appointed 10 men and every one of them narrated 10 aḥadīth. All of
them intentionally changed the isnād (chain) and put it with a different matn
(text). One by one they read the distorted aḥadīth to him and asked whether
he knew it or not. To all 100 hundred he replied, “Not known to me.” After
the questions were done he systematically went through and corrected all
100 narrations! He was known for his God-consciousness, good character,
and generosity.
Imām al-Bukhārī r devoted 16 years to the compilation of this
unparalleled work. He was inspired to undertake this compilation after one
of his teachers, Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh r, commented in passing, “if you were
to compile a short but comprehensive collection (kitāban mukhtaṣaran) of
the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah g.” After this the idea stuck
in his mind until he saw a dream in which he was standing in front of the
Prophet g with a fan in his hand. He understood it to mean that he was
blessed with the task of removing doubts and impurity from the Sunnah of
the Prophet g.
He sifted through 600,000 aḥādīth selecting 9,082 for his Ṣaḥīḥ. If
repetitions are excluded, the actual number of aḥādīth is 2,062. He used to
offer two units of prayer every time he decided to include a ḥadīth in his
collection. He wrote a good portion of the book in Makkah and Madinah and
the rest in Basrah, Kufah, and Bukharah. When he completed his work, he
showed it to some of the leading scholars of his time such as Imām Aḥmad
ibn Ḥanbal r, Yaḥya ibn Maʿīn r, and ʿAli ibn al-Madīnī who all approved
of it.
The book itself is divided into 96 books and a total of 3,450 chapters.
Each chapter is given a title that is descriptive of its contents. One of the

39 A sub-portion of the Arabian Peninsula

37
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

most unique features of this work is the chapter headings. Imām al-Bukhārī
was not only an expert in ḥadīth but he was also an expert in fiqh. He was a
mujtahid40 and the chapter titles indicate the legal implication or ruling the
reader should derive from the subsequent aḥādīth. As the saying goes, “The
fiqh of Imām al-Bukhārī r is in his headings.” The titles also include a short
comment from him or a report from a Companion or Successor clarifying the
aḥādīth. The finished work is not simply a ḥadīth collection; it is a massive
expression of Imām al-Bukhārīʾs understanding of Islamic Law and Belief.

SAHIH MUSLIM
The second of the two most famous ṣaḥīḥ collections is that of Imām
Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj al-Naysābūrī r. He was born in the year 206 and
passed away in the year 261. Similar to Imām al-Bukhārī, he learned the
Islamic Sciences at a very young age and then focused his attention on the
study of the aḥādīth of the Prophet g.
He travelled widely visiting the main centers of ḥadīth study in Persia,
Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and the Ḥijāz. He attended the gatherings of the most
learned ḥadīth scholars of his time including Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh (one of the
teachers of Imām al-Bukhārī), Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal r, and Imām al-Bukhārī.
He had learned aḥādīth from hundreds of teachers. He settled down in
Naysābūr and earned a living from a small business. He devoted his life to
the service of the Sunnah.
The original title of his work is al-Musnad al-Ṣaḥīḥ al-Mukhtaṣar min al-
Sunan bi Naql al-ʿAdl ʿan al-ʿAdl ʿan Rasūlillāh. For this work Imām Muslim
r sifted through over 300,000 aḥādīth and selected 7,479, or 3,033 if
repetitions are excluded, over a period of fifteen years. Imām Muslim also
organized the aḥādīth by subject matter and compiled all the aḥādīth on the
same subject with their various chains under one chapter. His system and
method of organization was more refined than Imām al-Bukhārīʾs.
One of the reasons that inspired Imām Muslim to compile this work
was that the works of ḥadīth that were available were difficult to use and to
defend the Sunnah of the Prophet g. Dr. Brown writes, “Muslim wrote his
Ṣaḥīḥ as a response to what he saw as the laxity and misplaced priorities of
ḥadīth scholars and transmitters. He believed that those scholars who strove
40 A legal scholar capable of deriving laws from their original sources

38
 CHAPTER 5: WELL-KNOWN HADITH WORKS & THEIR COMPILERS

to collect as many ḥadīth as possible regardless of their quality were doing so

to only to impress others. Muslim expressed serious concern over would-be
ḥadīth scholars who transmitted material of dubious nature to the exclusion
of well-known and well-authenticated ḥadīth. They provided this material
to the common people when in fact it is the ḥadīth scholarsʾ duty to leave
the common folk with trustworthy reports only…”41 It took him 15 years to
compile this work.

JAMI OF IMAM AL-TIRMIDHI

The Jāmiʿ of Imām al-Tirmidhī is included within the six canonical works
of ḥadīth. It was compiled by Abū ʿĪsa Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsa al-Tirmidhī
(209-279). He travelled extensively throughout the Muslim world to seek
out narrations of the Prophet g. His travels allowed him to learn from
the ḥadīth scholars of the major centers of Islam such as Iraq, Persia, and
Khurasan. He was a student of Imām al-Bukhārī, Imām Muslim, and Imām
Abū Dāwūd r. After his extensive travels he returned to his hometown of
Khurasān and compiled his Jāmiʿ over a period of twenty years.
Imām al-Tirmidhī, similar to his teacher Imām al-Bukhārī, was blessed
with a very unique and incredible memory. There is an amazing story
mentioned from his early days as a student. He had studied with a well-
known ḥadīth scholar who dictated a number of aḥādīth to him that filled
about 16 pages. Unfortunately, Imām al-Tirmidhī lost them before he could
review them. After some time, he was given the opportunity to learn from
him again. The ḥadīth scholar said that he would dictate the same aḥādīth he
narrated to him last time and that Imām al-Tirmidhī should double check his
notes. Out of fear of being thought of as careless Imām al-Tirmidhī picked
up some blank sheets of paper and looked at them as though they had the
aḥādīth written on them as the scholar dictated. Soon the teacher noticed the
sheets were blank and became very angry. Imām al-Tirmidhī explained that
he remembered every single word that had been dictated to him by memory.
Accordingly, the muḥaddith challenged him to recite the aḥādīth from
his memory. Imām al-Tirmidhī recited all of the aḥādīth without a single
mistake. The muḥaddith was shocked so he narrated another 40 aḥādīth to
him and asked him to repeat them. Without hesitation Imām al-Tirmidhī
41 Brown, Hadith Muhammadʾs Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World

39
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

repeated the aḥādīth verbatim!

Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī is considered to be one of the most important works of
ḥadīth literature. A unique feature of his work is that he attempted to record
those aḥādīth that were practiced and accepted by the jurists and community
at large, except for two specific ḥadīth. He said, “Every ḥadīth that is in this
book is acted upon and some scholars have acted upon it, except for two
ḥadīth. The ḥadīth, “If he drinks a fourth time then kill him” and the ḥadīth
“he combined between ẓuhr and ʿaṣr in Madīnah without fear and travel”.
He organized his work according to chapters (abwāb) starting off with
those chapters that deal with the well-known topics of fiqh or Islamic
Jurisprudence. For example, ṭahārah, ṣalah, zakāh, ṣawm, ḥajj, nikāḥ, ṭalāq,
and buyūʿ. He then brings chapters that deal with all of the major topics
or subjects addressed in the aḥādīth of the Prophet g, which include siyar
(History and Biography of the Prophet g), ādāb (Social Etiquette), tafsīr
(Quranic Exegesis), ashrāṭ (Signs of the Day of Judgment), fitan (Trials and
Tribulations), and manāqib (Virtues of the Companions). That is why his
work is considered to be a jāmiʿ.
Each heading is derived from the narrations that follow, saying “what has
come regarding topic X”. The title of the chapter either mentions the name of
the issue or the ruling that he wants to highlight. Under each of these chapter
headings he brings one or two narrations. Afterwards he gives his opinion
about the grade of the ḥadīth; whether it is authentic, good, or weak. He
graded aḥādīth as ṣaḥīḥ, ḥasan, ṣaḥīḥ ḥasan, ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ, gharīb, ḍaʿīf, and
munkar. Some of these terms were unique to him and he defined them in
his own way. He also mentions the opinions of earlier jurists, scholars, and
imāms regarding the subject matter of the ḥadīth. He also indicates if there
were aḥādīth transmitted by other Companions concerning the same subject
by saying “wa fī al-bāb” (and regarding this topic).
According to one count, there are 3,956 narrations in this monumental
work. It is unanimously included within the “six books” that are considered
to be the ḥadīth canon. It was widely accepted during his own life-time. al-
Tirmidhī said, “I compiled this book and then presented it to the scholars of
Hejaz, Iraq, and Khurasan and they were all pleased with it.” He also said,
“Whoever has this book in their house, it is as if they have a speaking prophet
in their house.”

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 CHAPTER 5: WELL-KNOWN HADITH WORKS & THEIR COMPILERS

SUNAN ABU DAWUD

This is the famous collection of Imām Abū Dāwūd Sulaymān ibn al-
Ashʿath al-Sijistānī r. He was born in the year 202 in the well-known region
of Sijistan in Khurasan and passed away in the year 275 in the city of Basrah
and is buried next to the great scholar, Sufyān al-Thawrī r.
Similar to the previous scholars of ḥadīth, after completing his initial
studies of the Islamic Sciences he dedicated himself to the study of ḥadīth.
He travelled extensively at a very young age. His pursuit of ḥadīth took him
to Hejaz, Egypt, Basrah, Kufah, Baghdad, Damascus, Khurasan, Rayy, Hirat,
and Tarasus. He was able to meet and study with the most knowledgeable
ḥadīth scholars of his time. He was well-known for his knowledge,
scholarship, God-consciousness honesty, and worship. He was also known
to have a photographic memory.
His Sunan is considered to be the first work ever produced in this
genre as well as the most comprehensive. Throughout his travels and years
as a student he was able to collect over 500,000 aḥādīth. Out of this vast
collection he selected 5,274 aḥādīth, 4,800 without repetition, to record in
this collection. It is said that it took him approximately 20 years to compile
this work while he was living in Tarasūs.
One of the most unique features of this collection is that it deals
exclusively and exhaustively with those aḥādīth that are of a legal nature. It is
considered to be so comprehensive on legal aḥādīth and on ḥalāl and ḥarām
that “it is sufficient for the mujtahid” to obtain knowledge of the ḥalāl and
the ḥarām from Abū Dāwūd. He himself writes that he knows of “nothing
after the Quran more essential for people to learn than this book, and a
person would suffer no loss if he did not take in any more knowledge after it.”
His work includes narrations that are ṣaḥīḥ,42 ḥasan, and some that
are ḍaʿīf. However, whenever Imām Abū Dāwūd brings a weak ḥadīth he
identifies it and explains why he considers it to be weak. This also implies
that whenever he does not specify weakness in a ḥadīth it is considered to be
sound and acceptable to him. This collection was widely circulated during
his own lifetime.

42 These terms will be defined later

41
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

SUNAN AL-NASA’I
This is the celebrated work of Imām Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Aḥmad ibn
Shuʿayb al-Nasāʾī. He was born in the year 215 in Nasa, a town in Khurasan
and passed away in the year 303 in Damascus. He received his early education
in his home province and then travelled widely in pursuit of ḥadīth studies.
At the age of 15 he travelled to Balkh and later travelled to Iraq, Syria, Hejaz
and Egypt. He eventually settled down in Egypt. He was recognized as the
leading ḥadīth scholar of his time and was known for his knowledge and
precision in recording. He was also known to be very brave. He participated
in jihād with the governor of Egypt. In the military camp he would guide the
governor and the army, teach them the Sunnah of the Prophet g and ask
them to follow it.
The collection consists of 5,000 aḥādīth of a legal nature, a large number
of which had already appeared in previous collections. This particular
collection was compiled in two stages. The initial worked he compiled
contained aḥādīth that were ṣaḥīḥ, ḥasan, and ḍaʿīf. This larger work was
entitled al-Sunan al-Kubrā. Imām al-Nasāʾī presented this larger work to the
Abbasid governor of Ramallah in Palestine. The governor asked whether all
the aḥādīth in the collection were ṣaḥīḥ or not. Imām al-Nasāʾī told him
it contains both ṣaḥīḥ and ḥasan narrations and those close to them. So
he asked him to compile a work that contained only ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth. Imām
al-Nasāʾī revised his work and extracted a smaller collection known as al-
Sunan al-Ṣughrā that he entitled al-Mujtabā min al-Sunan. The Mujtabā is the
collection known as Sunan al-Nasāʾī and it is considered to be one of the most
reliable works after the Ṣaḥīḥayn. It contains very few weak aḥādīth and is
one of the best collections in terms of classification and organization.

SUNAN IBN MAJAH

This is the celebrated work of Imām Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn
Yazīd al-Rabīʿ, also known as ibn Mājah al-Qazwīnī. He was born in the year
209 in Qazwin and passed away in the year 273. He also started his pursuit of
ḥadīth studies at a very early age and travelled extensively across the Muslim
world to sit with the great ḥadīth masters of his time. He was known for his
scholarship and good character. He was the leading ḥadīth scholar of Qazwin

42
 CHAPTER 5: WELL-KNOWN HADITH WORKS & THEIR COMPILERS

and was also well-known as a leading mufassir of the Quran.

In this collection he compiled 4,341 aḥādīth divided into 38 books,
which are further divided into 1,500 chapters. Out of these 4,341 narrations,
3,002 have also been included in the other five main books of ḥadīth. Out
of the remaining 1,339: 428 are ṣaḥīḥ, 199 are ḥasan, 613 are ḍaʿīf, and 99
are munkar. He included all types of narrations in this work, which is why
his work was not included in the “Six Books” until the early 6th century. Ibn
Mājah’s collection has very little repetition and is one of the best in terms of
arrangement of chapters and subchapters.

43
 6

AL-ISNAD
—
CHAIN OF NARRATORS

A s mentioned earlier, every single ḥadīth consists of two parts; the chain
of narrators (sanad/isnād) and the text (matn). The isnād is perhaps the
most important tool that was used to ensure and preserve the authenticity
of the aḥādīth of the Prophet g. It allowed the scholars of ḥadīth to sift
through the hundreds of thousands of narrations and determine which were
authentic and which were weak. That is why the famous ḥadīth scholar of
the second century, ʿAbdullah ibn al-Mubārak r (d. 181) said, “Isnād is an
intrinsic part of this religion. If it was not for the isnād then anyone could
have said whatever they wanted to say.”43 The system of isnād is used to
verify the authenticity of the report itself. It is used to make sure that the
words or deeds of the Prophet g were passed down from teacher to student
correctly and accurately. There is a whole branch of ḥadīth studies dedicated
to the study of the reliability of narrators from each generation called Asmāʾ
al-Rijāl. It serves as an encyclopedic reference used to determine if the
narrator is upright and reliable or weak and unreliable when it comes to
moral integrity, accuracy, and verifiable transmission.

43 ‫ فلوال اإلسناد لقال من شاء ما شاء‬.‫اإلسناد من الدين‬

45
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

ORIGINS OF THE ISNAD

Since the beginning of ḥadīth narration, from the time of the Prophet
g, a lot of care and attention had been given to ensure that the aḥādīth
of the Prophet g were being preserved and narrated accurately. Part of the
reason why so much care and attention was given to accurate and precise
narrations of his words is because the Prophet g warned against falsely
attributing things to him.
There are several narrations in which the Prophet g warns against
falsely attributing statements to him. The Prophet g said, “Whoever tells a
lie about me intentionally, then let him take his seat in the fire.”44 Similarly
the Prophet g said, “Ascribing false things to me is not like ascribing false
things to anyone else. Whosoever tells a lie against me intentionally then
surely let him occupy his seat in Hellfire.”45 In another ḥadīth the Prophet
gsaid, “Whoever narrated a ḥadīth from me thinking it to be false then
he is one of the two liars.”46 In another narration the Prophet g said, “It is
justifiable for a person who says whatever they hear to be considered a liar.”47
These and similar other warnings influenced the Companions and
following generations of Muslims to exercise extreme caution in the
transmission and narration of ḥadīth. Based off ample evidence on how the
Companions narrated and verified reports it can be said that the rudimentary
system of isnād was established during the time of the Prophet g. It was
a common practice during the time of the Prophet g for the Companions
to narrate aḥādīth to one another. Some of them even made special
arrangements to attend the Prophetʾs lessons in shifts and then later inform
each other of what they learnt. When informing each other they would use
phrases such as, “I saw the Prophet g do such and such” or “the Prophet g
said such and such”.
During the era of the Companions, the borders of Islam expanded
towards the East up to and into Iran and to the West into Egypt and North
Africa. The Companions settled in the major centers throughout the Muslim
world teaching the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet g. They would say to

44 al-Tirmidhī, k. al-ʾilm ʿan rasūlillah g, b. mā jāʾa fī taʾẓīm al-kadhib ʿalā rasūlillah, 2659
45 al-Bukhārī, k. al-janāʾiz, b. mā yukrahu min al-niyāḥah ʿalā al-mayit, 1291
46 al-Tirmidhī, k. al-ʾilm ʿan rasūlillah g, b. mā jāʾa fī man rawā ḥadīthan wa huwa yarā annahu
kadhib, 2662
47 Abū Dāwūd, k. al-adab, b. fī tashdīd fī al-kadhib, 4992

46
 CHAPTER 6: AL-ISNAD

their students, the Tābiʿūn (Successors), “I saw the Prophet g do such and
such” or “I heard the Prophet g say such and such”. This is how the isnād
was born.
The Tābiʿūn carried on the tradition of their teachers and taught their
students. During their time Islam had spread into India, Afghanistan,
Russia, China, and Spain. They would narrate aḥādīth saying “I heard such
and such Companion say that he saw the Prophet g do such and such.” With
that the second link in the chain of narration was added. By the end of the 1st
century the system of isnād was refined and fully developed.

THE EXPANSION OF THE ISNAD

Generally speaking the further down the chain from the Prophet g
the greater the number of narrators. For example, a ḥadīth that may have
been narrated by only one companion may have ten students in the next
generation, and in turn these ten students may have twenty or even thirty
students each belonging to different countries and provinces.
An example of this is the following narration: Naṣr ibn ʿAlī al-Jahdamī
and Ḥāmid ibn ʿUmar al-Bakrāwī informed us saying: Bishr ibn al-Mufaḍḍal
informed us from Khālid, from ʿAbdullah ibn Shaqīq from Abū Hurayrah
that the Prophet Muhammad g said: “If anyone among you wakes up from
sleep, he must not put his hand in a utensil until he has washed it three
times, since he doesnʾt know where his hand was whilst asleep.”
At least thirteen students narrated this ḥadīth from Abū Hurayrah: eight
from Madinah, one from Kufah, two from Basrah, one from Yemen, and one
from Syria. Sixteen students then narrated this ḥadīth from them: six from
Madinah, four from Basrah, two from Kufah, one from Makkah, one from
Yemen, one from Khurasan, and one from Hims. This shows how ḥadīth
spread throughout the Muslim world and how the number of narrators in-
creased in each generation.
The spread of the isnād system gave rise to two unique yet related branch-
es of ḥadīth studies:

1. Biographies (ʿilm al-ruwāt)

2. Critique and Validation (al-jarḥ wa al-taʿdīl)

47
 7
BIOGRAPHIES OF HADITH
NARRATORS & CRITIQUE
AND VALIDATION
—
‘ILM TAR​​I​​KH AL-RUWAT &
AL-JARH WA AL-TADIL

T he branch of Ḥadīth Studies that deals with the biographies of narrators

is known as ʿIlm al-Rijāl or Asmāʾ al-Rijāl. This branch of ḥadīth studies
is concerned mainly with the biographical data, chronology, life histories,
academic achievements, teachers, students, school of following, political
leaning, and views of ḥadīth narrators, and the statements of other people
concerning them. Basically, it deals with any information that is relevant
to their reliability as narrators as well as anything that helps to explain and
identify the personality and character of the narrator. It is also concerned
with the generation (ṭabaqah) and time frame in which the narrators lived.
One of the most important things looked at is the date and place of birth
and death. Based on this information the ḥadīth masters were able to tell if
the chain was connected or not. For example, the ḥadīth scholar of Syria,
Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh (d. 182), asked a man concerning a ḥadīth he had narrated
from the tābiʿī Khālid ibn Maʿdān, “When did you write ḥadīth from Khālid
ibn Maʿdān?” He replied, “In the year 113.” Ibn ʿAyyāsh commented, “Did
you hear the ḥadīth from him seven years after his death? Ibn Maʿdān passed
away in the year 106!”
There are many encyclopedic works that have been written in this branch
of ḥadīth studies gathering the biological information of thousands of ḥadīth
narrators throughout the early generations of Islam. One of the earliest works
in this field is the Kitāb al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kabīr in fifteen volumes of ibn Saʿd al-

49
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

Zuhrī r (d. 230). It contains the biographies of over 4,000 narrators and it
covers the biographies of most of the important narrators of ḥadīth. Imām
al-Bukhārīʾs (d. 256) al-Tārīkh al-Kābīr dealt with over 40,000 narrators.
Unfortunately, no complete manuscript of this work exists. Only portions
of it have been preserved. Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (852), in his Tahdhīb al-
Tahdhīb, recorded the biographies of over 12,000 ḥadīth narrators.
The data collected in these extensive and exhaustive works provides the
basic tools for ḥadīth criticism and the application of rules pertaining to
declaring narrators reliable or unreliable.
Another branch of Ḥadīth Studies closely related to ʿIlm al-Rijāl is that
of al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl, referred to as Critique and Validation. This branch of
Ḥadīth Studies is concerned mainly with the reliability or unreliability of
ḥadīth narrators and compiles information which either proves them to be
upright and reliable or weak and unreliable. Al-Taʿdīl means establishing a
narrator as upright in the moral sense and reliable in terms of memory and
accuracy. Al-Jarḥ literally means to wound and it refers to declaring a ḥadīth
narrator as having suspect character and being unreliable.
Works in this field started appearing around the early 3rd century;
however ḥadīth narrator criticism and isnād evaluation started from the era
of the Companions and evolved and developed organically along with the
spread and growth of ḥadīth transmission. For example, there was formal
ḥadīth criticism carried out by the giants of the 2nd century such as Shuʿbah
ibn al-Ḥajjāj (d. 104), Mālik ibn Anas (d. 179), Sufyān al-Thawrī (d. 161), and
Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah (d. 198).
These scholars are the individuals who began the process of collecting
peopleʾs narrations and examining their work and their character to determine
if they could be trusted. This work was carried on by the three giants of the
late 2nd and early 3rd century; Yaḥya ibn Maʿīn (r, 233), Imām Aḥmad ibn
Ḥanbal (r, 241), and ʿAlī al-Madīnī (r, 234). Their students refined ḥadīth
criticism into its most exact and lasting form: the two Shaykhs, al-Bukhārī
and Muslim.
Whenever the reliability of a ḥadīth narrator is questioned and there is
an investigation into their character and knowledge two things can happen:

1. the available information proves that they are upright and reliable
(this is known as taʿdīl or proving someone to be upright and reliable)

50
 CHAPTER 7: BIOGRAPHIES OF HADITH NARRATORS
& CRITIQUE AND VALIDATION

2. the available information shows that the narrator is unreliable

and that his character is questionable (this is referred to as jarḥ or
critique)

The methods applied in ḥadīth criticism were focused on the reliability

of the narrator. In order to accept a ḥadīth as authentic or even good it is not
enough for the text to be accurate and sound but the narrators should also
be upright, credible, and accurate. To determine these factors the scholars
of ḥadīth developed a set of criteria that allowed them to grade the ḥadīth
narrators as reliable or unreliable.
When analyzing a narrator, the scholars of ḥadīth looked at two major
factors:

1. al-ʿadālah (moral uprightness)

2. al-ḍabṭ (accuracy)

Al-ʿAdālah refers to the narratorʾs moral character. It is an innate

quality or nature (faculty) that causes a person to be God-conscious and well-
mannered. God-consciousness (taqwā) is staying away from major sins and
not being persistent in minor sins. Well-mannered refers to one’s behavior
and etiquettes related to everyday affairs such as eating, drinking, and
manner of speaking.
The ʿadālah of a narrator is determined mostly through their biographical
information. It is also dependent on their reputation and acceptance amongst
other ḥadīth scholars. Al-ʿadālah is used to evaluate a narratorʾs character,
belief, and level of piety.
There are five factors that are considered to negatively affect the ʿadālah
of a narrator:

1. lying (al-kidhb)
2. being accused of lying (al-ittihām bi al-kidhb)
3. open sin (fisq)
4. being unknown (jahālah)
5. innovation (bidʿah)

Lying (al-kidhb): It is proven that the narrator has lied at least once

51
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

regarding the aḥādīth of the Prophet g.

Suspicion of lying (al-ittihām bi al-kidhb): Meaning the person has
a reputation of telling lies even if he is not specifically known to have lied
concerning a ḥadīth.
Open Sin (Fisq): Sinful conduct especially in public, which was
considered to be a sign of shamelessness.
Being Unknown (Jahālah): The narrator is unknown in terms of
identification or uprightness. This is not in regards to the narrator themself,
but rather in the sense of them being considered a link in the chain.
Innovation (Bidʿah): Having views and beliefs that are contrary to well-
known beliefs.
Al-Ḍabṭ can be understood to be accuracy. It refers to the narratorʾs ability
to listen to a ḥadīth, understand its meaning, retain it, and pass it on just as
they heard it. The ḍabṭ of a narrator is determined through corroboration.
There are five factors that are considered to negatively affect the ḍabṭ of a
narrator:

1. neglect/oversight (ghaflah)
2. frequent errors (fuḥsh al-ghalaṭ)
3. disagreement with reliable authorities and narrators (mukhālafah
al-thiqāt)
4. known for misunderstandings (wahm)
5. bad memory (sūʾ al-ḥifẓ)

52
 PART 2:

HADITH
TERMINOLOGY

53
P art One of this booklet dealt with a very brief introduction to some of the
various topics that are covered within Ḥadīth Studies. Part Two will shift
gears and focus on a branch of Ḥadīth Studies known as Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīth,
or Ḥadīth Terminology. Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīth focuses on the technical terms,
names, and phrases that have developed over time that are used primarily
to classify and categorize aḥādīth. The terminology that has been developed
is quite specific and oftentimes a single word can convey multiple pieces of
information. For example, amongst scholars and students of ḥadīth the use
of words such as musnad, muttaṣil, marfūʿ, mursal, maqṭuʿ, munqaṭiʿ, and
ṣaḥīḥ covey full identification of the type of ḥadīth and relative strength and
weakness of its chain. Studying these different terms and what they mean is
extremely important for any student of ḥadīth and for anyone who wants to
have a solid understanding of ḥadīth literature.

CLASSIFICATION OF HADITH
A ḥadīth can be analyzed and classified through many different angles or
perspectives. For example, aḥādīth can be classified with respect to its sanad
(chain) and matn (text). Aḥādīth are commonly classified according to the
following five perspectives:

1. authority
2. number of narrators
3. authenticity
4. continuity
5. breaks

55
 8
CLASSIFICATION OF
HADITH ACCORDING
TO AUTHORITY

T his classification is based on the question: who actually said the state-
ment or to whom is the statement attributed. The purpose of this clas-
sification is simply to identify its origin or its source; meaning, who actually
said it? Was it the Prophet g, a Companion j, or even a Successor s?
This classification appeared early in Islamic history in order to clearly dis-
tinguish the statements of the Prophet g from those of his companions or
their students.
Based on authority the scholars of ḥadīth have classified narrations into
four categories:

1. al-Ḥadīth al-Qudsī
2. al-Ḥadīth al-Marfūʿ
3. al-Ḥadīth al-Mawqūf
4. al-Ḥadīth al-Maqṭūʿ

Classification of Ḥadīth Based on Authority

Qudsī Marfūʿ Mawqūf Maqṭūʿ

(from God) (from the Prophet g) (from a Companion) (from a Successor)

57
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

AL-HADITH AL-QUDSI: THE DIVINE HADITH

This is a narration whose chain ends at Allah c. It is a narration from
the Prophet g attributed to Allah c. An easier way to describe it is a ḥadīth
the Prophet g narrated from Allah c. That is why it is called qudsī, which
comes from the word quds, which means holiness, sanctity, or purity. The
term literally translates as the divine narration. Technically it is defined as a
saying of the Prophet g that he g attributes to Allah c.

‫ما أضيف إىل رسول اهلل ﷺ و أسنده إىل ربه عز و جل‬

A ḥadīth qudsī is usually narrated in the following two ways:

1. The Prophet g said from amongst the sayings he g has narrated

from his Lord, that God c said…

‫قال رسول اهلل ﷺ فيما يروي عن ربه‬

2. Allah c has said in what is narrated by the Prophet g…

‫قال اهلل تعاىل فيما رواه عنه رسول اهلل ﷺ‬

Example:
‫ قال رسول اهلل صىل‬:‫ قال‏‏‬،‫وعن أيب هريرة ريض اهلل عنه‬
‫ لك عمل ابن آدم هل إال‬:‫‏"‏قال اهلل عز وجل‏‏‬:‫اهلل عليه وسلم‏‏‬
‫‏ والصيام ُجنة فإذا اكن يوم‬.‫ فإنه يل وأنا أجزي به‏‬،‫الصيام‬
‫ فإن سابه أحد أو‬،‫صوم أحدكم فال يرفث وال يصخب‬
ُ ‫ واذلي نفس حممد بيده‬.‫ إين صائم‏‏‬:‫ فليقل‏‏‬،‫قاتله‬
‫خللوف فم‬
‫‏"‏للصائم فرحتان‬.‫الصائم أطيب عند اهلل من ريح المسك‏‏‬
"‫ وإذا ليق ربه فرح بصومه‏‏‬،‫ إذا أفطر فرح بفطره‬:‫يفرحهما‏‏‬
‫‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‬

58
 CHAPTER 8: CLASSIFICATION OF AHADITH ACCORDING TO AUTHORITY

Abū Hurayrah h narrated that the Messenger of Allah h said, “Allah

the Exalted and Majestic said: 'Every act of the son of Adam is for him, except
fasting. It is (exclusively) meant for Me and I (alone) will reward it. Fasting is
a shield. When any one of you is fasting on a day, he should neither indulge
in obscene language, nor raise the voice; or if anyone reviles him or tries to
quarrel with him, he should say: I am a person fasting. By Him, in Whose
Hand is the life of Muhammad, the breath of the observer of fast is sweeter
to Allah on the Day of Judgment than the fragrance of musk. The one who
fasts has two (occasions) of joy, one when he breaks the fast he is glad with
the breaking of (the fast) and one when he meets his Lord he is glad with his
fast.'”48
Generally speaking, the subject matter of a ḥadīth qudsī will deal with
virtues and rewards. There are not that many ḥadīth qudsī recorded in
ḥadīth literature, approximately 200 or so. Similarly not all ḥadīth qudsī are
authentic. They are subject to the same critique as any other ḥadīth so they
can be authentic, good, or weak.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
AL-HADITH AL-QUDSI AND THE QURAN
When talking about ḥadīth qudsī a natural question that arises is what is
the difference between a ḥadīth qudsī and the Quran? Arenʾt they both from
Allah c? The main or primary difference between the Quran and a ḥadīth
qudsī is that the Quran was revealed both in terms of words and meanings;
whereas, in a ḥadīth qudsī, the words are those of the Prophet g but the
meanings are inspired by Allah c.
One of the scholars wrote, “Both the words and meanings of the Quran
are from Allah c through manifest revelation. As for the ḥadīth qudsī then
its wording is from the Prophet g and its meaning is from Allah c through
inspiration or a dream.”49 Another way of expressing it is that the Quran is
the eternal uncreated speech of Allah c revealed to the Prophet g through
the Angel Jibrīl n. As for a ḥadīth qudsī, Allah c inspires the Prophet g
with its meaning and the Prophet g expresses it in his own words.
The following are considered to be some of the main differences between
the Quran and ḥadīth qudsī:

48 al-Bukhārī, k. al-ṣawm, b. hal yaqūlu innī ṣāʾim idhā shutima, 1904

49 ʿItr, Manhaj al-Naqd fī ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth, p.324

59
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

1. The Quran is miraculous. It is the inimitable, miraculous, divine,

eternal, uncreated speech of Allah c, whereas, a ḥadīth qudsī is the
speech of the Prophet g used to express meanings inspired to him
directly from Allah c.
2. Reciting the words of the Quran is an act of worship that is rewarded;
it is recited in prayer, cannot be touched by a person in the state of
minor ritual impurity, and it cannot be recited by one in a state of
major ritual impurity. None of these apply to a ḥadīth qudsī.
3. The Quran is mutawātir; a transmission is called mutawātir when
it is reported by such a large number of people that they could not
intentionally or mistakenly agree upon a lie. In each generation so
many people narrated it that there is no question of its authenticity.
The same cannot be said for the vast majority of ḥadīth qudsī.

AL-HADITH AL-MARFU': THE ELEVATED HADITH

Linguistically the word marfūʿ is the passive participle from the verb
rafaʿa (‫)رفع‬, which means to raise, lift, or elevate. The word marfūʿ - in its
literal sense - means elevated. Technically, al-ḥadīth al-marfūʿ is defined as a
saying, action, tacit approval, or characteristic directly and explicitly
attributed to the Prophet g.

‫ما أضيف إىل انليب ﷺ من قول أو فعل أو تقرير أو صفة‬

In other words it is what has been narrated on the authority of the

Prophet g in terms of his actions, sayings, tacit approvals, and characteristics.
It is the exact same definition as for the word ḥadīth.
From this definition scholars have categorized marfūʿ aḥādīth into four
types:

1. Statements (al-marfūʿ al-qawlī): These are aḥādīth that are

narrated using the words “I heard the Prophet g saying such and
such”, “The Messenger of Allah g said” or “from the Messenger of
Allah g”.
Example: ʿUmar (h) narrated that I heard the Prophet g

60
 CHAPTER 8: CLASSIFICATION OF AHADITH ACCORDING TO AUTHORITY

saying, “Indeed actions are only by their intentions.”50

2. Action (al-marfūʿ al-fiʿlī): Narrations that are talking about the
actions of the Prophet g. They are narrated using the words “I saw
the Prophet g do such and such”, or “from the Prophet g that he
did such and such.”
3. Tacit Approval (al-marfūʿ al-taqrīrī): The word taqrīr, literally
means approval, and it refers to the approval of the Prophet g.
Meaning, someone said or did something in the presence of the
Prophet g and he g did not object to it or prohibit it. Rather, he
remained silent as a sign of approval.
4. Moral Character/Physical Description (al-marfūʿ al-waṣfī):
Narrations describing the noble characteristics of the Prophet g or
his physical description.
Examples: “The Prophet g was the most generous of people
and he would be the most generous in Ramaḍān.”51 Jābir (h)
narrated, “I once saw the Messenger of Allah g on the night of a
full moon. On that night he wore red clothing. I would glance back
and forth between the full moon and the Messenger of Allah g,
and ultimately I came to the conclusion that the Messenger of Allah
g was more handsome, beautiful and more radiant than the full
moon.”52

A marfūʿ ḥadīth is also subject to the same investigation and criticism as

other narrations; so it can be authentic, good, or even weak.

AL-HADITH AL-MAWQUF: THE SUSPENDED HADITH

Linguistically, the word mawqūf is the passive participle from the verb
waqafa (‫)وقف‬, which means to stop. The word mawqūf means something that
is stopped, halted, or suspended. Technically, al-ḥadīth al-mawqūf is a
statement, action or tacit approval attributed to a Companion j.

‫ما أضيف إىل الصحايب من قول أو فعل أو تقرير‬

50 al-Bukhārī, k. badʾ al-waḥyī, b. kayfa kāna badʾ al-waḥyī ilā rasūlillah, 1
51 al-Bukhārī, k. al-ṣawm, b. ajwadu mā kāna al-nabiyy g yakūnu fī ramaḍān, 1902
52 al-Tirmidhī, shamāʾil, b. mā jāʾa fī khalq rasūlillāh g, 9

61
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

Meaning the chain of narrators, the isnād, stops at the Companion. The
statement, action or tacit approval is that of the companion.
From this definition scholars categorize a mawqūf ḥadīth into three
types:

1. Statement (al-mawqūf al-qawlī): ʿAli ibn Abī Ṭālib h said, “Speak

to the people with what they know. Would you like for Allah and His
Messenger g to be rejected?”53

‫ حدثوا انلاس بما‬،‫قال يلع بن أيب طالب ريض اهلل عنه‬

‫يعرفون أحتبون أن يكذب اهلل و رسوهل؟‬
2. Action (al-mawqūf al-fiʿlī): “Ibn ʿAbbās k led prayer with
tayammum (dry ablution).”54
3. Tacit Approval (al-mawqūf al-taqrīrī): If some Successor said, “I
did such and such in the presence of a Companion and he didnʾt
disapprove.”

Sometimes there are narrations that are mawqūf in terms of their isnād
and wording as well; however, after further investigation it can be understood
that some ḥadīth mawqūf are actually marfūʿ. The scholars of ḥadīth have
developed some general guidelines to determine which mawqūf narrations
are actually considered to be marfūʿ. For example, if a companion who is not
known to have taken from Judeo-Christian narrations, narrated something
that has no room for oneʾs personal opinion or understanding it is considered
to be marfūʿ; meaning they must have heard it from the Prophet g. This
includes information about events from the past such as the beginning of
creation or events from the future like signs of the Day of Judgment. Similarly,
if a Companion does something that has no room for oneʾs personal opinion
or understanding it will be considered to be marfūʿ. For example, when ʿAli
h prayed the prayer of eclipse while bowing down twice in each unit. It is
not feasible to think that ʿAlī h would do something like this if he didn’t
learn it from the Prophet g.

53 al-Bukhārī, k. al-ʿilm, 49
54 al-Bukhārī, k. al-tayammum, b. al-ṣaʿīd al-ṭayyib waḍūʾ al-muslim

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 CHAPTER 8: CLASSIFICATION OF AHADITH ACCORDING TO AUTHORITY

AL-HADITH AL-MAQTU': THE SEVERED (CUT-OFF) HAD-

ITH
Linguistically, the word maqṭūʿ is the passive participle from the Arabic
verb qaṭaʿa (‫)قطع‬, which means to cut or sever. The word maqṭūʿ literally
means something that has been cut-off or severed. Technically, it refers to a
saying or action attributed to a Successor s (someone who saw a Compan-
ion but did not see The Prophet g).

‫ما أضيف إىل اتلابيع أو من دونه من قول أو فعل‬

This is a narration that transmits the statement or action of one of the

Successors. For example, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī r said regarding praying behind
an innovator, “Pray and his innovation is upon him.”55

‫ صل وعليه بدعته‬،‫قال احلسن ابلرصي‬

Another example is the statement of Masrūq ibn al-Ajdaʿ who said, “It is
sufficient for a person to be considered a scholar if he fears Allah and for a
person to be ignorant if he boasts with his knowledge.”56

‫ كىف بالمرء علما أن خيىش اهلل وكىف بالمرء‬،‫عن مرسوق قال‬

‫جهال أن يعجب بعلمه‬

Another example is that it has been narrated that Masrūq r would draw
a curtain between him and his family, turn towards prayer and leave them
and their affairs.”57

‫اكن مرسوق يريخ السرت بينه وبني أهله ويقبل ىلع صالته‬
‫ويخليهم ودنياهم‬

55 al-Bukhārī, k. al-adhān, b. imāmah al-maftūn wa al-mubtadiʿ

56 al-Dāramī, 319 and 389
57 Abū Naʿīm, Hilyah al-Awliyāʾ, 1652

63
INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

64
 9
CLASSIFICATION OF
HADITH ACCORDING
TO THE NUMBER OF
NARRATORS

T his is a classification that is based upon the number of narrators at each

level of the chain or the isnād. It literally looks at the number of narra-
tors at the first level, the second level, the third level and so on until it reaches
the compiler of a major collection. Depending on the number of narrators
at each level of the chain of narration (isnād) aḥādīth are classified into two
broad categories:

1. mutawātir
2. āḥād

Classification of Ḥadīth According to the

Number of Narrators

al-Mutawātir al-Āḥād

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

AL-HADITH AL-MUTAWATIR: THE CONSECUTIVELY

RECURRENT HADITH
Linguistically, the word mutawātir is the active participle from the verb
tawātara (‫)تواتر‬, which means to follow in uninterrupted succession, to repeat
itself, continue regularly, uninterruptedly; or to be uninterrupted, or
unbroken. The word mutawātir is translated as consecutively recurrent.
Technically, it is a ḥadīth that has been narrated by such a large number of
people that it is inconceivable that they would have all collaborated in order
to perpetuate a lie.

‫ما رواه عدد كثري حتيل العادة تواطؤهم ىلع الكذب‬

Meaning at every single level of the chain, in every generation, there

were so many people who narrated the ḥadīth that it is impossible for them
to have agreed upon a lie intentionally or unintentionally. The possibility of
this report being false or weak is impossible because of the large number of
narrators and the diversity of localities. This large number of narrators is
enough to declare the report or the ḥadīth to be authentic; it is above
criticism. If a ḥadīth is mutawātir its narrators will not be subject to
evaluation to see if they were upright and accurate. This is because in a
mutawātir ḥadīth credibility is given solely to the multitude and number of
narrators. A mutawātir ḥadīth gives the benefit of certainty. One can be
absolutely, 100% certain that this is a statement of the Prophet g.
From this definition the scholars of ḥadīth say that in order for a ḥadīth
to be considered mutawātir four conditions must be met:

1. Numerous Narrators: The ḥadīth must be narrated by a large number

of narrators at each level of the chain; from the beginning until the
end. The problem that arises here is that there is no consensus
amongst ḥadīth scholars regarding what exactly that “large” number
is. There is no specified minimum or maximum number given.
Some say the requirement is four, others 10, others 20, 40, 70 up to
a few hundred. The basic premise behind the “large” number is to
inspire certainty and conviction, and that cannot really be linked to
a specific number. Certainty can sometimes be achieved by a

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 CHAPTER 9: CLASSIFICATION OF HADITH ACCORDING TO
THE NUMBER OF NARRATORS

relatively small number. According to some ḥadīth scholars the most

agreed upon number is 10. But as stated before, the central purpose
is to ensure that this group of people, regardless of size, would not
be able to collude upon a lie.
2. This “large” number of narrators must exist at each level of the chain.
So if the number of narrators drops below this level at any point in
the chain it will not be considered to be mutawātir.
3. The impossibility of all the narrators agreeing upon a lie. This is
caused mainly by two things; the “large” number and the different
localities of the narrators.
4. The basis of the report is sensory perception and not rational
thought. What that essentially means is that the report is narrated
by the narrators saying we heard, saw or felt such and such.

If a narration fulfills these four conditions it is considered to be

mutawātir. A mutawātir ḥadīth conveys certainty that is not open to challenge
or doubt and the ruling that is established by it is definitive. As a side note,
this is how the Quran has been narrated from generation to generation in
addition to being preserved through writing.

TYPES OF MUTAWATIR
Mutawātir Aḥādīth are classified into the following two categories:

1. AL-MUTAWĀTIR AL-LAFẒĪ (MUTAWĀTIR IN WORDING):

This term refers to a mutawātir ḥadīth that consists of the verbatim
transmission of the sayings of the Prophet g. Meaning these are the exact
words spoken by the Prophet g.

‫ما تواتر لفظه و معناه‬

For example, the Prophet g said, “Whoever tells a lie upon me

intentionally then let them prepare their seat in the Hellfire.”58

58 al-Bukhārī, k. al-ʿilm, b. ithm man kadhaba ʿalā al-nabiyy g, 107

67
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

َ ‫اللِ ـ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم ـ‬

‫"م ْن‬
َّ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ َ
‫ قال رسول‬:‫يد قال‬ َ َ ْ َ
ٍ ِ‫عن أ ِب سع‬
ْ ْ َ َْ َّ َ َ ‫َك َذ َب‬
"ِ‫ع ُم َت َع ّ ِم ًدا فل َيت َب َّوأ َمق َع َدهُ م َِن انلَّار‬

This ḥadīth has been narrated by a number of Companions j including

ʿAli, al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām, Anas ibn Mālik, Salamah, and Abū Hurayrah
j. Other Companions j narrated it from them, and then their students,
and their students, and so on.
The scholars of ḥadīth have differed with respect to the existence and
scope of this type of narration. For example, some ḥadīth scholars claimed
that such a ḥadīth does not exist and others said that they are rare. However,
the vast majority of scholars such as Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Ibn Ḥazm al-
Ẓāhirī, Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ, and Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī maintain that these type of
mutawātir narrations are not rare.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī r authored a book entitled al-Azhār al-Mutanāthira
fī al-Akhbār al-Mutawātirah (Scattered Flowers within Mutawātir Reports),
which he later summarized in Qaṭf al-Azhār (Plucking the Flowers) in which
he tried to compile a number of mutawātir aḥādīth. Within this collection
the author considers the following aḥādīth to be mutawātir:

1. “Every intoxicant is wine and all wine is forbidden.”59

‫لك مسكر مخر و لك مخر حرام‬

2. “May Allah cause to flourish a slave (of His) who hears my words and
understands them, and then he conveys them from me. There are
those who have knowledge but no understanding, and there may be
those who convey knowledge to those who may have more
understanding of it than they do.”60

َ َ َ َّ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َّ َ َّ َ
‫الل عبْ ًدا َس ِم َع َمقال ِت ف َو َعها ث َّم بَلغ َها ع ِّن ف ُر َّب‬ ‫نض‬
ُْ ُ َ ْ َ َ ُ ْ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ْ
‫ي فقِي ٍه َو ُر َّب َحام ِِل ف ِق ٍه إِل من هو أفقه مِنه‬ ِ ‫حام ِِل ف ِق ٍه غ‬
َ

59 Muslim, k. al-ashribah, b. bayān anna kulla muskir khamr wa anna kulla khamr ḥarām, 2003
60 al-Tirmidhī, k. al-ʿilm ʿan rasūlillah , b. mā jāʾa fī al-hath ʿalā tablīgh al-samāʿi, 2658

68
 CHAPTER 9: CLASSIFICATION OF HADITH ACCORDING TO
THE NUMBER OF NARRATORS

3. “Everyone will find easy that which they have been created for.”61

‫لك ميرس لما خلق هل‬

Al-Bukhārī and Muslim have recorded other aḥādīth that are considered
to be mutawātir as well. For example, “The Prophet g wiped over his leather
socks.”62 This ḥadīth has been narrated by approximately eighty Companions
of the Prophet g. Other examples are the famous ḥadīth about seeing Allah
c in the hereafter and the basin of the Prophet g in the hereafter.

2. AL-MUTAWĀTIR AL-MAʿNAWĪ (MUTAWĀTIR IN MEANING):

A ḥadīth that is mutawātir in meaning is one in which the wording of the
ḥadīth itself may not be mutawātir, but there are so many other narrations
that talk about the same thing, subject, topic, or meaning that it is considered
to be mutawātir. It is when a number of aḥādīth share the same subject or
meaning, but the wording of each individual report is not mutawātir.

‫ما تواتر معناه دون لفظه‬

An example of this is all the various aḥādīth that have been narrated
regarding raising oneʾs hands at the time of supplication. There are a number
of aḥādīth that confirm this, and although each one of these if taken
individually would not be mutawātir, the common theme becomes
mutawātir. There are literally almost a 100 aḥādīth that confirm this.
A theoretical example that might help understand this concept is that of
a fire downtown. One person might report that they saw smoke coming out
of a building. Another report might say that there were people running away
from downtown. Another report might say that there were fire trucks rushing
towards downtown. Someone else might report that they saw helicopters and
another one might say they saw flames. When all of these reports are put
together they support a common theme, which is a fire downtown.
This type of tawātur is established for a number of acts of worship such
as the way to perform wuḍūʾ, how the imām leads ṣalāh, and how ḥajj should
be performed.
61 al-Bukhārī, k. al-tawḥīd, b. qawlillah wa laqad yassarna al-Quran li al-dhikr, 7551
62 Muslim, k. al-ṭahārah, b. al-masḥ ʿalā al-khuffayn, 274

69
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

KHABAR AL-AHAD: THE SOLITARY REPORT

The second type of ḥadīth with respect to the number of narrators is
called khabar al-āḥād. It is also known as khabar al-wāḥid. Linguistically, the
word āḥād is the plural of wāḥid, which means one and singular. Technically,
it is defined as a narration that does not fulfill the conditions of a mutawātir
narration.
‫هو ما لم جيمع رشوط المتواتر‬

It is a ḥadīth that does not fulfill all the conditions necessary for it to be
considered mutawātir. It might be narrated by one, two, three or even more
narrators at each level of the chain, but it does not reach that “large” number
required for it to be mutawātir.
The vast majority of aḥādīth that are found in the ḥadīth corpus are all
āḥād. The āḥād narrations are subject to criticism; these are the aḥādīth
whose narrators are evaluated for uprightness and accuracy to determine if
the narration is authentic or not. The scholars of ḥadīth classify the āḥād
narrations with respect to two different considerations:

1. with respect to the number of narrators

2. with respect to authenticity

The āḥād narrations give the benefit of near certain knowledge and can
be used to derive legal rulings. Individually transmitted reports make action
obligatory, but do not make knowledge obligatory. The various schools of
thought have developed different principles for accepting and acting upon
āḥād narrations. Meaning, just because a ḥadīth is authentic does not
necessarily mean that it is acted upon as well. For example, the scholars of
the ḥanafī school of thought have established certain conditions that a āḥād
ḥadīth must fulfill in order for it to be considered a proof and a basis for
action. One of them is that the companion narrator of the āḥād narration is
not known to have acted against it themselves. If it is known that the narrator
acted against his or her own report that means that they must have heard or
learnt something else from the Prophet g as well. That is why the ḥanafīs
do not act upon the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah h in which he narrated that the
Prophet g said, “When a dog licks a dish wash it seven times, one of them

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 CHAPTER 9: CLASSIFICATION OF HADITH ACCORDING TO
THE NUMBER OF NARRATORS

with pure dirt.”63 Because Abū Hurayrah h himself would give the fatwā
(religious verdict) that it only needed to be washed three times.
Another condition is that the content of the ḥadīth should not be
something that necessitates (ʿumūm al-balwā) the knowledge of a large
number of people. If that is the case, then it would be expected that more
than just a handful of people would have narrated that ḥadīth. For example,
the Prophet g said, “If one of you touches his private part then they should
make wuḍūʾ.”64 This ḥadīth is only narrated by one female Companion.
Seeing as though touching one’s private parts is something that all the
Companions would have experienced, it logically follows that at least a
handful of Companions would narrate and talk about this. Because they did
not, we can say that this is an āḥād narration, and therefore it does not carry
the same legal weight as the mutawātir narrations on the same topic.

63 Muslim, k. al-ṭahārah, b. ḥukm wulūgh al-kalb, 279

64 al-Nasāʾī, k. al-ghasl wa al-tayammum, b. al-wuḍūʾ min mas al-dhakr, 445

71
 10
TYPES OF AHAD
ACCORDING TO
NUMBER OF
NARRATORS

A ccording to the number of narrators at each level of the chain the schol-
ars of ḥadīth classify āḥād narrations as:

1. al-Mashhūr
2. al-ʿAzīz
3. al-Gharīb

Āḥād According to the Number of Narrators

al-Mashhūr al-ʿAzīz al-Gharīb

al-Gharīb al-Gharīb
al-Muṭlaq al-Nisbī

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

AL-MASHHUR (THE WELL-KNOWN)

Linguistically, the word mashhūr is the passive participle from the verb
shahara (‫)شهر‬, which means to make well-known, famous, or widespread.
The word mashhūr literally means well-known, famous, or widespread.
Technically, a mashhūr narration is defined as a ḥadīth with at least three
narrators at every link in the chain or isnād.

ُ َّ َّ َ ْ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ ّ ُ َ َ َ َ ٌ َ َ َ ُ َ َ َ
‫اتل َوات ِر‬ ‫ ما لم يبلغ حد‬،‫ك طبق ٍة‬
ِ ‫ما رواه ثلثة فأكث ِف‬
In each generation there are at least three or more people narrating the
ḥadīth. If at any point in the chain there are less than three narrators then it
will not be classified as mashhūr.
Example:

The Prophet g

ʿAbdullah ibn Abū Hurayrah Ziyād ibn ʿĀʾishah bint

ʿAmr h h Lubayd h Abū Bakr k
(Companion) (Companion) (Companion) (Companion)

Abū Sālim ibn

ʿUrwah ʿUrwah ʿUrwah
Salamah Abī al-Jaʿd

Hisham ibn Hisham ibn ibn Shihāb Mūsā ibn

al-Aʿmash
ʿUrwah ʿUrwah al-Zuhri ʿAqabah

al-ʿAlāʾ ibn
ʿAbdullah
Mālik Jarīr Sulaymān Wakīʿ
ibn Saʿīd
al-Riqqī

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 CHAPTER 10: TYPES OF AHAD ACCORDING TO NUMBER OF NARRATORS

Qutaybah Muḥammad Bakr ibn

Ibn Abī Aws ʿAbdullah
ibn Saʿīd ibn ʿAmr Ṣadaqah

Imām al- Imām Imām al-

Bukhārī Muslim ʿAmr His Father Khaṭīb
(Compiler) (Compiler) (Compiler)

Imām al- Imām

Ṭabarānī Aḥmad
(Compiler) (Compiler)

ِ َ َ ،‫بن أَب أُ َويس قَ َال َح َّدثَن َمال ٌِك‬ ُ ‫ِيل‬ُ َ َ

‫َح َّدث َنا إِسماع‬
‫بن‬
ِ ‫ام‬ ‫ِش‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ع‬ ِ ٍ ِ
ُ ‫ قَ َال َس ِم‬،‫اص‬ َ ‫اللِ بن َعمرو بن‬ َّ ‫َعن َعبد‬ َ َ ََ ُ
‫عت‬ ِ ‫الع‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ،ِ ‫ه‬ ‫ي‬ِ ‫ عن أ‬،‫عروة‬
‫ب‬
ُ
َ ِ‫الل ال يَقبض الع‬ َ ّ َّ ُ ُ َّ
َ ‫‏ "إن‬:‫الل عليهِ َو َسل َم َيقول‬ َ َ َّ َّ
ُ ‫اللِ َصل‬ َّ َ ُ َ
‫لم‬ ِ ِ ‫رسول‬
ََ ُ َ َ ُ َ ُ ُ َ َ‫ ي‬،‫اع‬ ً ‫انت‬
،ِ‫بض العلماء‬ ِ ‫لم بِق‬ ‫كن يَقبِض ال ِع‬ ِ ‫ َول‬،ِ‫نتعه م َِن ال ِع َباد‬ ِ
َِ
َ َ‫ فَأ‬،‫اال فَ ُسئلُوا‬
‫فتوا‬
ً َّ ُ ً ُ ُ ُ َّ َ َ َّ ً َ ُ َ َ َّ َ
‫ اتذ انلاس رءوسا جه‬،‫بق عل ِما‬
ِ ِ ‫حت إِذا لم ي‬
ُّ َ َ َ ُّ َ َ َ
‫ فضلوا وأضلوا‬،‫ِلم‬ ٍ ‫ري ع‬
ِ ‫بِغ‬
Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Uwais narrated to us, who said that Mālik narrated to him
from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah from his father, from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ
(k), who said I heard the Messenger of Allah g saying, “Verily, Allah does
not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people but He takes away
knowledge by taking away the scholars, so that when He leaves no learned
person, people turn to the ignorant as their leaders; then they are asked to
deliver religious verdicts and they deliver them without knowledge, they go
astray, and lead others astray.”65
It is important to note that a mashhūr narration must have become well-
known and widespread during the first three generations of Islam. Following
that period most aḥādīth became widespread and well-known. A mashhūr
ḥadīth is also subject to critique and evaluation; it can be ṣaḥīḥ, ḥasan, or
65 al-Bukhārī, k. al-ʿilm, b. kayfa yuqbaḍu al-ʿilm, 100

75
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

even ḍaʿīf depending on the condition of its narrators in the isnād.

NON-TECHNICAL MASHHŪR
A non-technical mashūr is a narration that has become well-known,
famous, and widespread even though it may not fit the technical definition.
The spread of a ḥadīth is a relative concept to some extent in that a ḥadīth
may be well-known in some areas but not in others. For example, a ḥadīth
maybe widespread among the fuqahāʾ (jurists), the scholars of ḥadīth,
scholars of uṣūl, or just the masses. If a ḥadīth is well-known in its literal
sense without meeting the conditions of the ḥadīth scholars it is called a
non-technical mashhūr.
An example is the well-known ḥadīth that the Prophet g said, “Patient
deliberation is from Allah c and hastiness is from Satan.”66

‫األناة من اهلل والعجلة من الشيطان‬

Another famous ḥadīth amongst the jurists is, “Divorce is the most
detestable of all permissible things to Allah c.”67

‫أبغض احلالل إىل اهلل الطالق‬

AL-AZIZ (THE STRONG HADITH)

Linguistically, the word ʿazīz is derived from the verb ʿazza - yaʿizzu (\‫عز‬
‫)ي ِع ُّز‬, which means to become rare or scarce or from the verb ʿazza - yaʿazzu (\‫عز‬
‫)ي َع ُّز‬, which means to become strong. The word ʿazīz literally means some-
thing that is rare or something that is strong. Technically, an ʿazīz narration
is a ḥadīth that has at least two narrators at every level of the chain.

‫ما ال يقل رواته عن اثنني يف مجيع طبقات السند‬

It is a ḥadīth in which at least one link in its isnād only has two narrators,
even if the other links have more than two. None of the links in the chain has
66 al-Tirmidhī, k. al-birr wa al-ṣilah ʿan rasūlillah g, b. mā jāʾa fī al-taʾannī wa al-ʿajalah, 2012
67 Abū Dāwūd, k. al-ṭalāq, b. fī karāhiyyah al-ṭalāq, 2178

76
 CHAPTER 10: TYPES OF AHAD ACCORDING TO NUMBER OF NARRATORS

less than two narrators. It is called ʿAzīz because it is both strong and scarce.

Example:

The Prophet g

Anas b. Mālik k Abū Hurayrah h

(Companion) (Companion)

Qatādah ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn

Hurmuz
Shuʿbah Abū al-Zinād

Ādam Shuʿayb
Imām al-Bukhārī
(Compiler) ʿAlī ibn ʿAyyāsh

ʿImrān ibn Bakkār

Imām al-Nasāʾī
(Compiler)

ُ
َ َ ُ ُ َّ َ َ َّ ََ َ َ
َّ َ ُ َ َّ َ ُ ُ ُ َّ َ َ َّ َ ُ َ
،‫عف ٍر‬‫ار قاال حدثنا ممد بن ج‬
ٍ ‫ وابن بش‬،‫حدثنا ممد بن المثن‬
َ َ َ َ َ ُ ّ َ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ َ ُ َ ُ َ َ َّ َ
‫ قال‬،‫بن َمال ٍِك‬
ِ َ ِ ‫ يدِث عن أن‬،‫ قال س ِمعت قتادة‬،‫حدثنا شعبة‬
‫س‬
ُ َ َّ ُ َ َ
‫ "ال يُؤم ُِن أ َح ُدكم َح َّت‬:‫قال َر ُسول اللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‏‏‬
".‫ني‬َ ‫مجع‬َ َ ِ َّ‫اله ِ َوانل‬
ِ ِ ‫له ِ َو َو‬
َ َ َّ َ َ َ ُ َ
ِ ‫ب إِلهِ مِن َو‬
ِ ‫اس أ‬ ‫أكون أح‬

Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā and ibn Bashār narrated to us, who said
that Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, who said that Shuʿbah narrated to
us, who said I heard Qatādah narrating from Anas ibn Mālik k, who said
that the Messenger of Allah g said, “None of you truly believes until Iʾm
more beloved to him than his child, his father and all of mankind.”68
68 Muslim, k. al-īmān, b. wujūb maḥabbah rasūlillah g akthar min al-ahl, 44

77
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

An ʿazīz ḥadīth may be sound (ṣaḥīḥ), good (ḥasan), or weak (ḍaʿīf)

depending on the reliability of its narrators.

AL-GHARIB (THE ISOLATED HADITH)

Linguistically, the word gharīb is an adjective that means strange or
peculiar. Technically, a gharīb narration is a ḥadīth that is narrated by only
one narrator at one link of the isnād.

‫ما ينفرد بروايته راو واحد‬

It is a narration that has a single narrator at any point in the isnād. This
one narrator can be at any part of the chain; the beginning, middle, or end.
The gharīb ḥadīth is classified into two types:

1. al-Gharīb al-Muṭlaq
2. al-Gharīb al-Nisbī

1. AL-GHARĪB AL-MUṬLAQ (ABSOLUTELY ISOLATED)

This is defined as a ḥadīth that has been narrated only by one Compan-
ion from the Prophet g, even if it became well-known and widely narrated
at lower levels of the chain.

‫ أي ما ينفرد بروايته شخص واحد‬،‫ما اكنت الغرابة يف أصل سنده‬
‫يف أصل سنده‬

Example:

The Prophet g

ʿUmar h
(Companion)

78
 CHAPTER 10: TYPES OF AHAD ACCORDING TO NUMBER OF NARRATORS

ʿAlqamah ibn
Waqqāṣ al-Laythī

Muḥammad ibn
Ibrāhīm al-Taymī

Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-

Anṣārī

Sufyān

al-Ḥūmaydī ʿAbd-
ullah ibn al-Zubayr

Imām al-Bukhārī
(Compiler)

َ َ ُ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ ُّ ُ ْ َّ ُ ْ َ ُّ ْ َ ُ ْ َ َ َّ َ
‫ قال‬،‫ قال َح َّدث َنا ُسف َيان‬،‫ي‬ ِ ‫حدثنا الميدِي عبد َاللِ بن الزب‬
َ
َ ‫م َّم ُد بْ ُن إب ْ َراه‬ ُ ََ‫خ‬ َ
ْ َ َ ُّ َ ْ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ
‫ِيم‬ ِ ‫ب ِن‬ ‫ قال أ‬،‫يد األنصارِي‬ ٍ ‫حدثنا يي ب ُن س ِع‬
ُ ُ ْ َ ُ ُ َ َّ ْ َّ
‫ت ع َم َر بْ َن‬
َّ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ ُ َّ َ ُّ ْ‫اتلَي‬
‫ يقول س ِمع‬،‫اص اللي ِث‬ ٍ ‫ أنه س ِم َع علق َمة ب َن َوق‬،‫م‬ ِ
ّ
َّ َ
‫ت َر ُسول اللِ صىل‬ ُ ‫ع ال ْ ِمنْ َب قَ َال َس ِم ْع‬ ََ
‫ـ‬ ‫عنه‬ ‫اهلل‬ ‫رىض‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫اب‬ ‫ط‬ َْ
َّ ‫ال‬
ِ ِ
ْ ّ ُ َ َّ َ ّ ّ ُ َ ْ َ َ َّ ُ َُ
‫ئ‬
ٍ ‫ِك ام ِر‬ ِ َ ‫ ِإَونما ل‬،‫ات‬ ِ ‫ إِنما األعمال بِانل ِي‬:‫اهلل عليه وسلم يقول‏ ‏‬
ُ ‫ام َرأة َينْك‬ ْ ‫يب َها أَ ْو إل‬
َ ُ ‫ِج َرتُ ُه إ َل ُدنْ َيا يُ ِص‬
ْ ‫ته‬ ْ َ‫ َف َم ْن َكن‬،‫َما نَ َوى‬
‫ِح َها‬ ٍ ِ ِ
َ َ َ َ َ َُُ ْ َ
ِ‫اج َر إِلْه‬ ‫ف ِهجرته إِل ما ه‬

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb h narrated that he heard the Messenger of Al-

lah g saying, “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every
person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever
emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was

79
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

for what he emigrated for.”69

This ḥadīth has only been narrated by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb h.

2. AL-GHARĪB AL-NISBĪ (RELATIVELY ISOLATED)

This refers to a ḥadīth that has only one narrator at some other point in
the chain. Meaning, more than one Companion narrated the ḥadīth from the
Prophet g, but then later on only a single narrated reported it.

Example:

The Prophet g

Anas ibn Mālik k

(Companion)

Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī

Imām Mālik*
(Compiler)

Abū al-Walīd

Imām al-Bukhārī
(Compiler)

ََ َ ْ ُّ َ ْ َ َ
‫ َع ِن‬،‫ َح َّدث َنا َمال ِك‬،‫َح َّدث َنا أبُو ال َو ِل ِد‬
ٌ
‫ ع ْن أن ٍس ـ رىض‬،‫الزه ِر ِّي‬
ْ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َ
ِ‫ب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم دخل َمكة ع َم الفتح‬ َّ َّ‫اهلل عنه ـ أ َّن انل‬
ْ ََ ِ
ُ‫ع َرأ ِسهِ ال ْ ِم ْغ َفر‬ َ‫و‬

69 al-Bukhārī, k. badaʾa al-waḥy, b. kayfa kāna badʾu al-waḥy ilā rasūlillah g, 1

80
 CHAPTER 10: TYPES OF AHAD ACCORDING TO NUMBER OF NARRATORS

Abū al-Walīd narrated to us, who said that Mālik narrated to us, from al-
Zuhrī from Anas h that in the year of the conquest of Makkah the Prophet
g entered Makkah, wearing a helmet on his head.70
Imām Mālik r is the only student to have received this report from al-
Zuhrī even though al-Zuhrī was a well-known scholar of ḥadīth with numer-
ous students.
To reiterate, classifying a ḥadīth as mashhūr, ʿazīz, or gharīb does not
imply its strength or weakness. The strength or weakness of a ḥadīth is de-
pendent upon the reliability of the narrators found within its chain.

70 al-Bukhārī, k. al-libās, b. al-mighfar, 5808

81
 11
CLASSIFICATION OF
AHAD WITH RESPECT
TO STRENGTH &
WEAKNESS

W ith respect to strength and weakness, meaning how reliable or

unreliable the narration is, aḥādīth are initially divided into two
broad categories: Accepted (Maqbūl) and Not Accepted (Mardūd). Accepted
narrations are then classified into four categories according to the strength of
their authenticity:

1. al-ṣaḥīḥ li dhātihi
2. al-ṣaḥīḥ li ghayrihi
3. al-ḥasan li dhātihi
4. al-ḥasan li ghayrihi

The Not Accepted report is termed as ḍaʿīf, or weak, which then has sev-
eral types depending on what variable is causing the ḥadīth to be weak.

Āḥād in Respect to
Strength and Weakness

Maqbūl Mardūd

al-Ṣaḥīḥ li al-Ṣaḥīḥ li al-Ḥasan li al-Ḥasan li

Ḍaʿīf
dhātihi ghayrihi dhātihi ghayrihi

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

AL-SAHIH: THE AUTHENTIC HADITH

Al-Ḥadīth al-Ṣaḥīḥ is defined as a narration with a continuous chain of
narrators all the way to the Prophet g, consisting of upright and accurate
narrators that is not anomalous and free of defects.

‫ما اتصل سنده بنقل العدل الضابط عن مثله إىل منتهاه من غري‬
‫شذوذ و ال علة‬

From this definition we learn that in order for a ḥadīth to be considered

authentic it must fulfill five conditions:

1. Continuity of the chain of narrators (‫)اتصال السند‬: Meaning, the chain

of narrators has to be connected all the way from the beginning until
the Prophet g. Every narrator must have taken the ḥadīth directly
from the narrator before them. The chain can not have any breaks or
missing links anywhere. If the chain is broken at some point then
the narration is automatically classified as weak.
2. Uprightness of the Narrators (‫)العدالة‬: All the narrators must be
upright; the scholars of ḥadīth usually define it as God-consciousness
and good character. It refers to the narratorʾs moral character. It is
an innate quality or nature (faculty) that causes a person to be God-
conscious and well-mannered. God-consciousness (taqwā) is staying
away from major sins and not being persistent in minor sins. The
ʿadālah of a narrator is determined mostly through their biographical
information. It is also dependent on their reputation and acceptance
amongst other ḥadīth scholars. ʿAdālah was used to evaluate a
narratorʾs character, belief, and level of piety.
3. Accuracy (‫)الضبط‬: All the narrators in the chain must be known to
have been accurate. It refers to the narratorʾs ability to listen to a
ḥadīth, understand its meaning and to retain it, and pass it on just
as they heard it. The ḍabṭ of a narrator is determined through
corroboration. They must be accurate in terms of their memory as
well as their written records.
4. Non Contradictory (‫)عدم الشذوذ‬: Meaning the text of the ḥadīth can
not be anomalous or unusual. The ḥadīth cannot contradict a reliable

84
 CHAPTER 11: CLASSIFICATION OF AHAD WITH RESPECT TO
STRENGTH & WEAKNESS

ḥadīth reported by a larger number of narrators or even by one

narrator of a higher authority or ranking.
5. Absence of Defects (‫)عدم العلة‬: The ḥadīth has to be free from any type
of defect whether apparent or hidden. A defect may exist in the
chain of narrators or in the text itself. For example, there can be a
break somewhere in the chain or there can be a mistake in the
wording of the ḥadīth. All of these defects will be discussed later on
in detail.

If a ḥadīth fulfills these five conditions it is considered to be authentic.

Example:
َ ْ َ ٌ َ َََْ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ ُ ْ َّ ُ ْ َ َ َّ َ َ
،‫اب‬ٍ ‫ ع ِن اب ِن شِه‬،‫ قال أخ َبنا مال ِك‬،‫حدثنا عبد اللِ بن يوسف‬
َّ َ ُ ‫ قَ َال َس ِم ْع‬،ِ‫ َع ْن أبيه‬،‫م َّم ِد بْن ُج َب ْي بْن ُم ْطعِم‬
َُ ْ َ
ِ‫ت َر ُسول الل‬ ِ ٍ ِ ِ ِ ‫عن‬
‫ور‬ ُّ ‫صىل اهلل عليه وسلم قَ َرأَ ف ال ْ َم ْغرب ب‬
‫الط‬
ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ

ʿAbdullah ibn Yūsuf narrated to us, who said that Mālik informed us,
from ibn Shihāb, from Muḥammad ibn Jubair ibn Muṭʿim, from his father
who said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah g recite Surah al-Ṭūr in Maghrib.”71
This ḥadīth is classified as ṣaḥīḥ because it fulfills all five of the
conditions.

1. The chain is continuous. Each narrator is proven to be a student of

the narrator above him.
2 & 3. All the narrators are upright and accurate:
• ʿAbdullāh ibn Yūsuf: trustworthy and accurate (thiqah/mutqin)
• Mālik ibn Anas: master of ḥadīth and accurate (imām/ḥāfiẓ)
• Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī: jurist and accurate agreed upon his
magnificence and excellence (faqīh, ḥāfiẓ, muttafiq ʿalā
jalālatihi wa itqānihi)
• Muḥammad ibn Jubayr: accurate (thiqah)
• Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim: A Companion.
4. The text of this ḥadīth does not contradict another authentic report.
5. There are no hidden or apparent defects.
71 al-Bukhārī, k. al-adhān, b. al-jahr fī al-maghrib, 765

85
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

THE MOST AUTHENTIC CHAINS OF NARRATION

When it comes to aḥādīth that are ṣaḥīḥ the scholars have tried to identify
the most authentic chain of narrators or ‫أصح األسانيد‬. However, the reality is
that no single chain can be declared to be the most authentic or the strongest
because the level of authenticity of ṣaḥīḥ aḥādīth varies according to the
relative strength of the five conditions.
Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ wrote, “The grades of sound ḥadīth vary in strength
according to the degree that the ḥadīth possesses the aforementioned
characteristics upon which soundness is based. In view of this, sound ḥadīth
can be divided into subcategories. For this reason, we think that it is better to
refrain from judging any chain of narration or ḥadīth to be the absolutely
most sound. Although a number of ḥadīth authorities have attempted to do
so.”72
That is why some of the masters of ḥadīth identified certain chains to be
the most authentic. For example, Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh and Imām Aḥmad ibn
Ḥanbal were of the opinion that the most reliable isnād is al-Zuhrī from
Sālim from his father, ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar k. Ibn Maʿīn was of the opinion
that the strongest chain is al-ʿAmash from Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī from ʿAlqamah
ibn Qays from ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿūd h. Imām al-Bukhārī was of the opinion
that the strongest chain is Mālik from Nāfiʿ from ibn ʿUmar.

GRADES OR LEVELS OF AUTHENTIC HADITH

Ṣaḥīḥ is not a monolithic category of ḥadīth; meaning not every ḥadīth
that is ṣaḥīḥ is equal in strength. There are different shades of ṣaḥīḥ, some
being considered “stronger” than others. That is why the scholars have graded
or classified ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth into seven levels:

1. ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth included in both al-Bukhārī and Muslim, which is

termed “agreed upon” (‫)متفق عليه‬.
2. ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth included only in al-Bukhārī
3. ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth included only in Muslim
4. ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth that meet the conditions of authenticity of both al-
Bukhārī and Muslim, but is not included in their collections.
5. ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth that meets the standards of al-Bukhārī
6. ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth that meets the standards of Muslim

72 ibn al-Ṣalāḥ, An Introduction to the Science of the Hadith, p. 5

86
 CHAPTER 11: CLASSIFICATION OF AHAD WITH RESPECT TO
STRENGTH & WEAKNESS

7. ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth that is graded as authentic by other ḥadīth scholars.

AL-HASAN: THE FAIR HADITH

Linguistically, the word ḥasan is an adjective that means beautiful, good,
or nice. Technically, it is a narration that meets the conditions of a ṣaḥīḥ
ḥadīth except that there is some weakness in the accuracy of one or a few of
the narrators.

‫ما اتصل سنده بنقل العدل اذلي خف ضبطه عن مثله إىل منتهاه‬
‫من غري شذوذ و ال علة‬

A narration with a continuous chain of narrators all the way to the

Prophet g, consisting of upright and accurate narrators as well as one
narrator (or more) with less accuracy that is not anomalous and free of
defects. It meets the same conditions as a ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth, except that one or
more of its narrators’ accuracy is of a lesser degree.
As mentioned earlier the accuracy (ḍabṭ) of a narrator is evaluated by
comparing the reports of a particular narrator with similar reports by other
more reliable narrators. When there is substantial corroboration, the ḍabṭ
of the narrator is established, but if there is widespread discrepancy in the
accuracy of his narrations the person will be considered to be weak. Again,
it is the same thing as a ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth except that one or more of its narrators
has a lesser degree of accuracy. It can be thought of as a ḥadīth that falls in
between ṣaḥīḥ and ḍaʿīf.

Example:
َ َ َ ُّ َ َ ْ َ ُ ُ ْ ُ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ ُ َ ْ َ ُ َ َ َّ َ
‫ ع ْن أ ِب ع ِْم َران‬،‫ع‬ ُّ ِ ‫الض َب‬ ‫ حدثنا جعفر بن سليمان‬،‫حدثنا قتيبة‬
َ ُ ْ َ َ َ ّ َ َْ َ ‫كر بْن أَب ُم‬ ْ َ َ ْ َ ّ ْ َْ
‫ قال س ِمعت أ ِب‬،‫وس األشع ِر ِي‬ ِ ِ ِ ‫ عن أ ِب ب‬،‫ن‬ ِ ِ ‫الو‬
َّ َّ ُ ُ َ َ َ ُ ُ َ ّ ُ َ ْ ِ َ ْ َ
‫ يقول قال رسول اللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‏ "‏إِن‬،ِ‫ِبضة العدو‬
ُّ َْ ٌ َ ََ َ َ ْ‫ال َّنةِ َت‬ْ َ ََْ
‫ فقال َر ُجل م َِن الق ْو ِم َرث‬.‫وف‏‏"‏‏‬ ُّ ‫ِالل‬
ِ ‫الس ُي‬ ِ ‫ظ‬ ‫ت‬ َ ‫أبواب‬
َّ َ َ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ ْ َْ َ َ
‫ت هذا م ِْن َر ُسو ِل اللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬ ‫الهيئةِ أأنت س ِمع‬

87
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

َ َّ ُ ُ ْ َ َ ُ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ ُ ْ َ
.‫السال َم‏‏‬ ‫ فرجع إِل أصحابِهِ فقال أقرأ عليكم‬.‫يذكره قال نعم‏‏‬
َ ُ
‫ض َب بِهِ َح َّت قتِل‬ َ َ ‫َو َك‬
َ َ َ‫س َج ْف َن َسيْفِهِ ف‬

Qutaybah narrated to us, who said that Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān al-Ḍubaʿī
narrated to us, from Abū ʿImrān al-Jawnī, from Abū Bakr ibn Abī Mūsā al-
Ashʿarī, who said I heard my father in the presence of the enemy saying,
the Messenger of Allah g said, “Indeed, the gates of Paradise are under the
shadows of the swords.” A man among the people with ragged appearance
said: “Have you heard what you mentioned from the Messenger of Allah g?”
He said: “Yes.” So he returned to his comrades and bid them farewell, broke
the sheath of his sword, and began fighting with it until he was killed.73
The reason why this ḥadīth is graded as ḥasan is because all of the
narrators in the chain are reliable (trustworthy), except for Jaʿfar ibn
Sulaymān al-Ḍubaʿī who is graded as ḥasan al-ḥadīth. Meaning his accuracy
is of a lesser level. The ḥadīth still meets the other four conditions:

1. continuity of the chain

2. uprightness of the narrators
3. not anomalous
4. no defects

A ḥasan ḥadīth is still considered to be a binding legal proof, just like a

ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth. Meaning it can be used to derive legal rulings.

AL-SAHIH LI GHAYRIHI
(THE EXTRINSICALLY AUTHENTIC HADITH)
This is a narration that is considered to be authentic because of some
extraneous evidence. It is a ḥasan ḥadīth that has been elevated to the level
of ṣaḥīḥ because it is strengthened by multiple chains of narration.

‫هو احلسن ذلاته إذا روي من طريق آخر مثله أو أقوى منه‬

73 al-Tirmidhī, k. faḍāʾil al-jihād ʿan rasūlillah g, b. mā dhukira anna abwāb al-jannah taḥta
dhilāl al-suyūf, 1659

88
 CHAPTER 11: CLASSIFICATION OF AHAD WITH RESPECT TO
STRENGTH & WEAKNESS

It has an unbroken chain of narrators all of whom are upright and

accurate, it is not anomalous, and is free from defects. However, it contains
a point of weakness because of the accuracy of one of its narrators. This
weakness is made up for by the presence of another chain of narrators for the
same ḥadīth in which all the narrators are upright and accurate.

Example:
ُ َ َ
َ ْ َ َ َ ْ ُ ُ ْ ُ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ ُ َ َ
،‫م َّم ِد ب ْ ِن َع ْم ٍرو‬ ‫ عن‬،‫ حدثنا عبدة بن سليمان‬،‫ب‬ ٍ
ْ‫َح َّدث َنا أبُو ك َري‬
َّ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ
‫ قال قال َر ُسول اللِ صىل اهلل عليه‬،‫ ع ْن أ ِب ه َريْ َرة‬،‫ع ْن أ ِب َسل َمة‬
َ
‫ك َصال ٍة‏"‏‬
ُّ َ ْ
‫د‬ ‫ِن‬
‫ع‬ ِ‫اك‬‫ِو‬ ّ ‫ع أُ َّمت ألَ َم ْر ُت ُه ْم ب‬
َ ‫الس‬ َ َ َّ ُ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ
‫وسلم‏ ‏" لوال أن أشق‬
ِ ِ ِ
Abū Kurayb narrated to us, who said that ʿAbdah ibn Sulaymān narrated
to us, from Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr, from Abū Salamah, from Abū Hurayrah
 who said that the Messenger of Allah g said, “If it were not that it would
be difficult on my nation, then I would have ordered them to use the siwāk
(wooden tooth stick) for each prayer.”74
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr ibn ʿAlqamah is well-known for his truthfulness
and piety but the scholars disagreed on his accuracy. He was known to have a
weak memory. Based on that this narration by itself is graded as ḥasan.
However, the exact same ḥadīth has been narrated through Muḥammad ibn
Ibrahīm from Abū Salamah from Zayd ibn Khālid from the Prophet g.
Because of the existence of this narration, the previous one is raised from the
status of ḥasan to ṣaḥīḥ li ghayrihī.

AL-DA'IF (THE WEAK HADITH)

Linguistically, the word ḍaʿīf means weak, the opposite of something
strong. Technically, it is defined as a ḥadīth that does not meet the conditions
of a ṣaḥīḥ or ḥasan ḥadīth.

‫ بفقد رشط من رشوطه‬،‫ما لم جيمع صفة احلسن‬

It is a ḥadīth in which any one or more of the five conditions of a ṣaḥīḥ

74 al-Tirmidhī, k. al-ṭahārah ʿan rasūlillah , b. mā jāʾa fī al-siwāk, 22

89
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

or ḥasan ḥadīth have not been met. The weakness may be in the chain, text
or in both. For example, if the chain is broken at some point it is classified as
weak. A ḥadīth will also be classified as weak if there are some issues with
one or more of the narrators. There are two main reasons why a ḥadīth is
considered to be weak:

1. problems in the chain

2. or problems with the narrators

There are many categories of weak aḥādīth. Depending on the weakness

the narrations are given very specific names that indicate why they have been
graded as weak. Aḥādīth that have been classified as weak because of
problems with the narrators are classified as the following:

1. Matrūk (Renounced)
2. Munkar (Disclaimed)
3. Shādh (Anomalous)
4. Muʿallal (Defective)
5. Mudraj (Interpolated)
6. Maqlūb (Inverted)
7. Muḍṭarab (Perplexing)
8. Muṣaḥḥaf (Distorted)

Aḥādīth that are considered weak because of issues with the chain are
classified into the following:

1. Muʿallaq (Hanging)
2. Mursal (Loose)
3. Muʿḍal (Problematic)
4. Munqaṭiʿ (Interrupted)
5. Mudallas (Hidden Defect)

Example:
َُ َ ْ َ َ َ َ ْ ُ ْ ُ َ َ َّ َ
‫ ع ْن م َّم ِد ب ْ ِن‬،‫ َح َّدث َنا أبُو األح َو ِص‬،‫يد‬
ٍ ِ‫حدثنا س َويد ب ُن سع‬

90
 CHAPTER 11: CLASSIFICATION OF AHAD WITH RESPECT TO
STRENGTH & WEAKNESS

َ
َ ‫ قَ َال َج‬،‫ع‬
‫اء‬ ّ ِ َ ‫ َع ْن‬،ِ‫ َع ْن أبِيه‬،‫ال َسن بْن َس ْع ٍد‬ َ ْ ‫ َعن‬،ِ‫الل‬ َّ ْ َ ُ
‫عبي ِد‬
ٍ ِ ِ ِ
َ‫ت مِن‬ ُ ْ‫اغتَ َسل‬
ْ ّ َ ََ َ
ّ َّ‫َر ُج ٌل إِل انل‬
‫ب ـ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم ـ فقال إ ِ ِن‬ ِ ِ
ْ‫الظ ْفر لَم‬
ُّ ْ َ َ ْ َ ُ ْ َ َ َ ُ ْ َ ْ َ َّ ُ َ ْ َ ْ ُ ْ َّ َ َ َ َ َ ْ
ِ ِ‫ضع‬ِ ‫النابةِ وصليت الفجر ثم أصبحت فرأيت قدر مو‬
ُ َ
َ ْ‫اللِ ـ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم ـ‏ "‏ل ْو كن‬ َّ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ َ ْ ُ ْ ُ
‫ت‬ ‫ فقال رسول‬.‫ي ِصبه الماء‏‏‬
ََ َ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ َ
‫مسحت عليهِ بِيدِك أجزأك"‏‬

Suwaid ibn Saʿīd narrated to us, who said that Abū al-Aḥwaṣ narrated to
us, from Muḥammad ibn ʿUbaydillah, from al-Hasan ibn Saʿd, from his
father from ʿAlī h who said, “A man came to the Prophet g and said, “I
bathed because of major ritual impurity, and I prayed fajr. Then I noticed a
spot the size of a fingernail that the water did not reach.” The Messenger of
Allah g said: “If you had wiped it that would have been sufficient for you.”75
This ḥadīth is graded as ḍaʿīf because one or more of the narrators in this
chain is considered to be weak. Some of the great scholars of ḥadīth criticism
considered Muḥammad ibn ʿUbaydillah to be weak. For example, Ibn Ḥajar
r says that he is weak.

AL-HASAN LI GHAYRIHI
(THE EXTRINSICALLY FAIR HADITH)
Al-Ḥasan li Ghayrihi is a ḍaʿīf ḥadīth that has been elevated to the status
of ḥasan due to supporting narrations.

‫ ولم يكن سبب ضعفه فسق‬،‫هو الضعيف إذا تعددت طرقه‬

‫الراوي أو كذبه‬

The narration in itself is weak because of either a break in the chain or

the weakness of a narrator. The weakness of the narrator can not be due to
some deficiency in his uprightness like fisq (open sinning) or lying. However,
there are other chains of transmission that are not defective for the same
ḥadīth that strengthen it and elevate it to the status of ḥasan.

75 Ibn Mājah, k. al-ṭahārah wa sunanuha, 664

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

Example:
‫ح ِن بْ ُن‬ َ ْ ‫الر‬
َّ ‫ َو َعبْ ُد‬،‫يد‬ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ َّ َ ُ ْ ُ َّ َ ُ َ َ َّ َ
ٍ ِ‫ حدثنا يي ب ُن سع‬،‫ار‬ ٍ ‫حدثنا ممد بن بش‬
ُ
‫ص ِم ب ْ ِن ع َبيْ ِد‬ َ َ ُ ْ ُ َ َ َّ َ ُ َ َ ْ َ ْ ُ َ ُ ّ ‫َم ْهد‬
ِ ‫ ع ْن ع‬،‫ قالوا حدثنا شع َبة‬،‫ َوم َّمد ب ُن جعف ٍر‬،‫ِي‬ ٍ
ً‫ام َرأَة‬
ْ ‫ْ َ َ َ َ ْ َ أَ َّن‬ َ َ ْ َّ َ ْ َ ُ ْ َ َ َ َّ
، ،ِ‫ عن أبِيه‬،‫ قال س ِمعت عبد اللِ بن عم ِِر ب ِن ربِيعة‬،ِ‫الل‬
َّ ُ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ َّ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ْ
‫ي فقال َر ُسول اللِ صىل اهلل عليه‬ ِ ‫مِن ب ِن فزارة تزوجت ع نعل‬
َ َ ْ ََ ْ َ َ ََْْ َ َ ِ ‫يت م ِْن َن ْفس‬ َ
‫ قال‬.‫ قالت نعم‏‏‬.‫ي‏‏"‏‏‬ ِ ‫ِك ومال ِِك بِنعل‬ ِ ‫ض‬ ِ ‫وسلم‏ "‏ أ َر‬
َ ‫فَأَ َج‬
ُ‫ازه‬

Muḥammad ibn Bashār narrated to us, who said that Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd and
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdi and Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, who
all said that Shuʿbah narrated to us, from ʿĀṣim ibn ʿUbaydillah, who said I
heard ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿĀmir ibn Rabīʿah, from his father that a woman from
Banī Fazārah was married for (the dowry of) two sandals. The Messenger
of Allah g said to her: 'Do you approve of (exchanging) yourself and your
wealth for two sandals?' She said: 'Yes.' He said: "So he permitted it."76

76 al-Tirmidhī, k. al-nikāḥ ʿan rasūlillah g, b. mā jāʾa fī muhūr al-nisāʾa, 1113

92
 12

TYPES OF
WEAK AHADITH
A s mentioned earlier, the scholars of ḥadīth have classified weak
aḥādīth into several different categories based on the cause and type of
weakness. These categories have been given very specific names or terms that
tell us exactly what type of weakness is found in the narration. There are two
primary causes for weakness in a narration:

1. a break in the chain of narrators

2. or a deficiency in the narrators

WEAK NARRATIONS BECAUSE OF A BREAK IN THE

CHAIN OF NARRATORS
In Arabic the scholars of ḥadīth describe this category as ‫املردود بسبب سقط‬
‫من اإلسناد‬, or weak narrations because of a gap in the chain of narrators. What
is meant by a gap or break is that one narrator or more is missing from the
isnād (chain), at any point in the chain, be it at the beginning, middle, or
end. This gap could have been created intentionally or unintentionally and it
can also be apparent or hidden. Basically, there is a narrator missing from the
chain somewhere.
Based on where the narrator is dropped from the chain or how many are

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

dropped from the chain the scholars of ḥadīth classify weak narrations into
five categories:

1. Muʿallaq (Hanging)
2. Mursal (Loose)
3. Muʿḍal (Perplexing)
4. Munqaṭiʿ (Interrupted)
5. Mudallas (Hidden Defect)

AL-MUʿALLAQ (THE HANGING)

Linguistically, the word muʿallaq is the passive participle from the verb
ʿallaqa (‫)علّق‬, which means to hang, be suspended, dangle, cling, or adhere.
The word muʿallaq literally means something that is hanging or dangling.
Technically, al-Muʿallaq is a narration in which one or more narrators is
dropped (omitted) from the beginning of the chain in sequence.

‫ما حذف من مبدأ إسناده راو فأكرث ىلع اتلوايل‬

That is why it is called muʿallaq; it is literally as if the ḥadīth is hanging

from the top. What is meant by the beginning of the chain is the narrator
closest in time, or the teacher of the compiler. The end of the chain would be
the Prophet g or the Companion j. A person might omit the entire chain
of narrators from beginning to end only quoting the Prophet g. For example,
they may say the Prophet g said such and such. Or they may omit the entire
chain of narrators except for the Companion or the Successor.

Example:
‫ “وقال أبو‬،‫ما أخرجه ابلخاري يف مقدمة باب ما يذكر يف الفخذ‬
‫ ركبتيه حني دخل عثمان‬ ‫موىس غطى انليب‬

At the beginning of the chapter on what has been narrated regarding the
thighs being part of the ʿawrah, Imām al-Bukhārī r brings a muʿallaq
ḥadīth. He said, “Abū Mūsā h said, ʿThe Prophet g covered his knees when
ʿUthmān  entered the room.ʾ”
This particular narration is classified as muʿallaq because Imām al-

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 CHAPTER 12: TYPES OF WEAK AHADITH

Bukhārī r dropped the entire chain except for the Companion, Abū Mūsā
al-Ashʿarī h. The authenticity or strength of a muʿallaq narration depends
on its chain of narrators. So just because a ḥadīth is muʿallaq does not
automatically mean the ḥadīth is weak because oftentimes the chain of
narrators is omitted or dropped for brevity. Imām al-Bukhārī r has included
a number of muʿallaq narrations in his collection as parts of chapter headings.

AL-MURSAL
Linguistically, the word mursal is the passive participle from the verb
arsala (‫)أرسل‬, which means to release, loosen, set free, or to send. So the word
mursal literally means something that has been released, loosened, set free,
or sent. Technically, a mursal narration is defined as a ḥadīth in which the
companion narrator has been dropped or omitted from the chain.

‫هو ما سقط من آخر إسناده من بعد اتلابيع‬

Meaning, it is a ḥadīth in which the narrator is missing from the end of

the chain, the one after the Tābiʿī, which is the companion narrator. Basical-
ly, a Successor reports the ḥadīth directly from the Prophet g without men-
tioning the Companion who they learned it from.

Example:

The Prophet g
Missing
Companion*
Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab

Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī

ʿUqayl

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

al-Layth

Ḥujayn ibn al-

Muthannā

Muḥammad ibn Rāfiʿ

Imām Muslim
(Compiler)

َّ َ ْ َ ُ َ
،‫ َح َّدث َنا الليْ ُث‬،‫ي بْ ُن ال ُم َث َّن‬
ُْ‫ج‬ َ
َ ‫ َح َّدث َنا ُح‬،‫م َّم ُد بْ ُن َراف ِع‬
ٍ ‫َو َح َّدث ِن‬
َّ َ َّ َ َّ َ ُ ْ ْ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َُْ ْ َ
ِ‫ أن َر ُسول الل‬،‫ب‬ ِ ‫ عن س ِعي ِد ب ِن المسي‬،‫اب‬ ٍ ‫ ع ِن اب ِن شِه‬،‫عن عقي ٍل‬
ُ ْ ََ َ ُْ َ ََ َ ُْ َْ ْ َ َ َ
‫حاقلةِ َوال ُم َز َاب َنة‬ ‫صىل اهلل عليه وسلم نه عن بيعِ المزابنةِ والم‬
ِْ‫ع بالْ َقمح‬ ُ ْ َّ َ َ ُ ْ َ ُ َ َ َ ُ ْ َ ْ َّ ْ َّ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ ْ َ
ِ ‫ر‬ ‫الز‬ ‫اع‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ن‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ل‬ ‫اق‬ ‫ح‬ ‫م‬ ‫ال‬‫و‬ ‫ر‬
ِ ِ ِ ‫أن يباع ثمر انل‬
‫م‬ ‫اتل‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ل‬ ‫خ‬
َْ ْ َْ ْ ْ َ
ِ‫اء األر ِض بِالقمح‬ ُ ‫ك َر‬ ِ ‫واست‬

Muḥammad ibn Rāfiʿ narrated to me, who said Ḥujayn ibn al-Muthanna
narrated to us, who said al-Layth narrated to us, from ʿUqayl, from ibn
Shihāb, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, who reported that the Messenger of
Allah g forbade the transaction of al-Muzābanah and al-Muḥāqalah. al-
Muzābanah means that fresh dates on the trees should be sold against dry
dates. al-Muḥāqalah implies that the wheat in the ear should be sold against
the wheat and getting the land on rent for the wheat (produced in it).77
This ḥadīth is classified as mursal because Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab is from
amongst the Successors. He passed away in the year 94. In this ḥadīth he is
narrating directly from the Prophet g without mentioning the companion
whom he heard it from. Now there is a lot of discussion amongst the scholars
of ḥadīth regarding the authenticity of mursal narrations.
The mursal ḥadīth is initially classified as weak because there is a break
in the chain of narrators. That missing link can be a Companion or it could

77 Muslim, k. al-buyūʿ, b. taḥrīm bayʿ al-ruṭab bi al-tamr illa fī al-ʿarāyā, 1539

96
 CHAPTER 12: TYPES OF WEAK AHADITH

be another tābʿī who can be strong or weak. There are multiple possibilities;
there is only one narrator missing, which is the companion, or there could
be more.
There are three major opinions regarding using a mursal ḥadīth as a legal
proof:

1. The majority of ḥadīth scholars, jurists, and scholars of uṣūl are of

the opinion that a mursal ḥadīth is weak and can not be used as a
legal proof because the missing narrator is not known.
2. According to Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, Imām Mālik, and Imām Aḥmad a
mursal ḥadīth is acceptable as long as the successor is known to be
trustworthy who only narrates from other trustworthy sources.
3. Imām al-Shāfiʿī (r) was of the opinion that a mursal ḥadīth can be
used as a valid legal proof as long as it meets certain conditions.

The discussion regarding the above mentioned conditions are beyond

the scope of this short booklet. It is enough to know that mursal aḥādīth are
accepted and acted upon as long as they meet certain conditions.

MURSAL AL-ṢAḤĀBĪ
(THE MURSAL NARRATION OF A COMPANION)
A mursal ḥadīth of a Companion is when the Companion narrates
something from the Prophet g that they did not hear or see themselves
directly. This happened either because the Companion was extremely young
during the life of the Prophet g or because they accepted Islam much later
on and spent very little time with the Prophet g. There is almost unanimous
agreement that the mursal ḥadīth of a Companion is authentic and a valid
legal proof. This is because all of the Companions of the Prophet g are
considered to be upright and accurate.

AL-MUʿḌAL
Linguistically, the word muʿḍal is the passive participle from the verb
aʿḍala (‫)أعضل‬, which means to become problematic, puzzling or mysterious.
The word muʿḍal literally means something that is problematic, puzzling, or
mysterious. Technically, a muʿḍal ḥadīth is a narration in which two or more
narrators are missing from the chain in succession.

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

‫ما سقط من إسناده اثنان فأكرث ىلع اتلوايل‬

It is called muʿḍal because the two or more missing narrators make the
report mysterious.

Example:

The Prophet g

Abū Hurayrah h
(Companion)

Missing Narrator*

Missing Narrator*

Imām Mālik*
(Compiler)

al-Qaʿnabī

Imām al-Ḥākim
(Compiler)

‫ما رواه احلاكم يف “معرفة علوم احلديث” بسنده إىل القعنيب‬

‫ للمملوك‬ ‫ قال رسول اهلل‬،‫عن مالك أنه بلغه أن أبا هريرة قال‬
‫طعامه و كسوته بالمعروف و ال يكلف من العمل إال ما يطيق‬

Imām Ḥākim narrates with his sanad till al-Qaʿnabī, from Mālik who
narrated from Abū Hurayrah h, who said that the Messenger of Allah g

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 CHAPTER 12: TYPES OF WEAK AHADITH

said, “A slave is entitled to good food and clothes and should not be burdened
with work they canʾt do.”
This narration is classified as muʿḍal because there is no way Imām Mālik
could’ve narrated this ḥadīth directly from Abū Hurayrah h. There is nearly
a 40 year gap between them. Also, Imām Mālik’s student, al-Qaʿnabī says “it
reached him [Imām Mālik] that Abū Hurayrah said,” which gives us insight
that he didn’t hear this directly from him. So it is known that there is at least
one missing narrator for sure. However, when we study the entire corpus of
ḥadīth, we find that there are two narrators missing between Imām Mālik
and Abū Hurayrah h. From other sources, we find that Imām Mālik actually
reported this ḥadīth from Muḥammad ibn ʿAjlān, from his father who then
narrated it from Abū Hurayrah h.

AL-MUNQAṬIʿ
Linguistically, the word munqaṭiʿ is the active participle from the verb
inqaṭaʾa (‫)انقطع‬, which means to cut, sever or interrupt. The word munqaṭiʿ
literally means something that is cut, severed or interrupted. Technically, a
munqaṭiʿ narration is a ḥadīth that has a break anywhere in the chain.

‫ما لم يتصل إسناده ىلع أي وجه اكن انقطاعه‬

It is a narration that has a missing link or links somewhere in the chain

of narrators. Meaning the missing link can be at the beginning, middle or
end so this term is very general; it includes all the categories discussed above.

Example:

The Prophet g

Ḥudhayfah h
(Companion)

Missing Narrator*

99
 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

Abū Mijlaz*

Qatādah

Abān

Mūsā ibn Ismāʿīl

Imām Abū Dāwūd

(Compiler)

َ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ َ َ ‫َح َّد َث َنا ُم‬

‫ قال َح َّدث ِن‬،ُ‫ َح َّدث َنا ق َتادة‬،‫ َح َّدث َنا أبَان‬،‫وس بْ ُن إ ِ ْس َماعِيل‬
َ َّ َ َّ َ َ َ َ َ َْ َ
‫ أن َر ُسول اللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم ل َع َن‬،‫ ع ْن ُحذ ْيفة‬،‫أبُو ِمل ٍز‬
َ ْ َْ َ ْ َ َ َ َ ْ َ
ِ‫اللقة‬ ‫من جلس وسط‬

Mūsā ibn Ismāʿīl narrated to us, who said that Abān narrated to us, who
said that Qatādah narrated to us, who said that Abū Mijlaz narrated to me
from Ḥudhayfah h that the Messenger of Allah g cursed the one who sat
in the middle of a circle.78
The reason why this ḥadīth is classified as munqaṭiʿ is because there is
a link missing between Abū Mijlaz and Ḥudhayfah h. Abū Mijlaz is from
the successors and he even met some of the companions but he never met
Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān h. So there is definitely a link missing in between
them.

AL-MUDALLAS
Linguistically, the word mudallas is the passive participle from the verb

78 Abū Dāwūd, k. al-adab, b. al-julūs wasṭ al-ḥalqah, 4826

100
 CHAPTER 12: TYPES OF WEAK AHADITH

dallasa (‫)دلّس‬, which means to conceal. Tadlīs, literally, is concealing a defect

in an object of sale from the buyer. Technically, a mudallas ḥadīth is a
narration in which a defect in the chain of narrators is hidden (concealed) in
order to make it look sound apparently.

‫إخفاء عيب يف اإلسناد و حتسني لظاهره‬

A narrator conceals a defect in the chain, which is a missing link in order

to make it seem as if the chain is free from any defects.
When a person does tadlīs they claim to narrate from their teacher,
whom they met and learned from, that which they did not hear from them.
For example, a narrator may narrate a ḥadīth on the authority of their
teacher, but, the specific ḥadīth was not learnt directly from the teacher, but
possibly from another student of the same teacher. At the time of the
narration the narrator uses language that implies they learnt it directly from
the teacher. Or they narrate from a contemporary of theirs whom they did
not meet, in such a way to create the impression that they heard the ḥadīth
from them directly.

WEAKNESS OF AHADITH DUE TO DEFICIENCIES IN

THE NARRATORS
The second major reason for classifying aḥādīth as weak is because of
some sort of deficiency or weakness in the narrator. In order for a ḥadīth to be
classified as authentic all the narrators in the chain must be graded as upright
and accurate. If there is any type of deficiency in either the uprightness or
accuracy of one or more of the narrators then the narration is automatically
graded as weak.
The scholars of ḥadīth have identified ten factors that are considered as
deficiencies in a narrator; five are associated with uprightness and five are
associated with accuracy. The five that are associated with uprightness are:

1. Lying (al-Kidhb)
2. Being Accused of lying (al-Ittihām bi al-Kidhb)
3. Open Sin (Fisq)
4. Being Unknown (Jahālah)

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

5. Innovation (bidʿah)

The five that are associated with accuracy are:

1. Neglect/Oversight (Ghaflah)
2. Frequent Errors (Fuḥsh al-Ghalaṭ)
3. Disagreement with Reliable Authorities and Narrators (Mukhālafah
al-Thiqāt)
4. Misunderstandings (Kathrah al-Awhām)
5. Bad Memory (Sūʾ al-Ḥifdh)

Based on these ten factors the scholars of ḥādīth have classified aḥādīth
into several different categories.

AL-MAWḌŪʿ
Linguistically, the word mawḍūʿ is the passive participle from the verb
waḍaʿa (‫)وضع‬, which means to place, lay down, or to invent. The word mawḍūʿ
literally means something that has been placed or invented. Technically, a
mawḍūʿ ḥadīth is a narration that has been fabricated. It is defined as a report
made up by a liar that is attributed to the Prophet g.

 ‫هو الكذب المختلق المصنوع المنسوب إىل رسول اهلل‬

One or more of the narrators in the chain was a known liar who was
known to have told a lie upon the Prophet g. Not only is his uprightness
deficient but it is non-existent.
This is the absolute worst type of narration. There is unanimous
consensus amongst the scholars that it is not permissible to narrate a
fabricated ḥadīth without saying or clarifying that it is fabricated.

AL-MATRŪK
Linguistically, the word matrūk is the passive participle from the verb
taraka (‫)ترك‬, which means to leave or abandon. The word matrūk literally
means something that has been left, discarded, or abandoned. Technically, a
matrūk ḥadīth is a narration in which one of the narrators has been accused
of lying.

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 CHAPTER 12: TYPES OF WEAK AHADITH

‫هو احلديث اذلي يف إسناده راو متهم بالكذب‬

Meaning, the narrator is known to have a habit of lying even though it

has not been explicitly proven that he or she ever lied regarding the Prophet
g.
Example:

The Prophet g

ʿAlī h ʿAmmār h
(Companion) (Companion)

Abū al-Ṭufayl

Jābir

ʿAmr ibn Shamr al-Juʿfī

al-Kūfī*
(Accused of Lying)

‫حديث عمرو بن شمر اجلعيف الكويف عن جابر عن أيب الطفيل‬

‫ يقنت يف الفجر ويكرب يوم‬ ‫ اكن انليب‬:‫عن يلع وعمار قاال‬
‫عرفة من صالة الغداة ويقطع صالة العرص آخر أيام الترشيق‬

The ḥadīth of ʿAmr ibn Shamr al-Juʿfī al-Kūfī, from Jābir, from Abī al-
Ṭufayl, from ʿAli and ʿAmmār who said that the Prophet g used to recite the
qunūt in fajr and he would start the takbīr from the dawn of the day of
ʿArafah and stop at ʿaṣr prayer on the last day of tashrīq.

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

Both Imām al-Nasāʾī and al-Dāraquṭnī commented that ʿAmr ibn Shamr
is matrūk al-ḥadīth.

AL-MUNKAR
Linguistically, the word munkar is the passive participle of the verb
ankara (‫)أنكر‬, which means to reject, deny, rebuke, or criticize. The word
munkar literally means something that has been rejected, denied, or
criticized. Technically, a munkar ḥadīth has been defined in two different
ways. The first definition given is that it is a narration whose chain contains
a narrator who makes excessive mistakes (fuḥsh al-ghalaṭ), is extremely
inattentive (ghaflah), or sins openly (fisq).

‫هو احلديث اذلي يف إسناده راو فحش غلطه أو كرثت غفلته أو‬
‫ظهر فسقه‬

The second definition given is that it is a narration reported by a weak

narrator that contradicts the narration of a reliable narrator.

‫هو ما رواه الضعيف خمالفا لما رواه اثلقة‬

Examples:
An example of the first definition is the following ḥadīth recorded in al-
Nasāʾī and Ibn Mājah:

The Prophet g

ʿĀʾishah i
(Companion)

ʿUrwah

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 CHAPTER 12: TYPES OF WEAK AHADITH

Hishām ibn ʿUrwah

Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā ibn

Muḥammad ibn Qays*
(Weak Narrator)

Abū Bishr ibn Bakr ibn Khalaf

Imām ibn Mājah

(Compiler)

Abū Bishr ibn Bakr ibn Khalaf, from Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā ibn Muḥammad
ibn Qays al-Madanī, from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from ʿĀʾishah
i, who reported the Prophet g saying, “Eat dried dates with the fresh ones,
eat the new with the old for Satan turns angry and says, ʿThe son of Adam
lives until he eats the old with the new .ʾ”79
Imām al-Nasāʾī said, “This ḥadīth is munkar, because Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā
ibn Muḥammad ibn Qays reported this ḥadīth by himself , though he is not
in the position (in terms of retentiveness and accuracy) to report aḥādīth by
himself.”
An example of the second definition is the following ḥadīth recorded by
Ibn Abī Ḥātim:

The Prophet g

Ibn ʿAbbās k Ibn ʿAbbās k

(Companion) (Companion)

79 ibn Mājah, k. al-aṭʿimah, b. akl al-balaḥ bi al-tamr, 3330

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

al-ʿAyzār ibn Hurayth ... More reliable chain ...

Abū Isḥāq

Ḥubayyib ibn Ḥubayyib*

(Weak Narrator)

Abū Bishr ibn Bakr ibn

Khalaf

Ibn Abī Ḥātim

(Compiler)

Ḥubayyib ibn Ḥubayyib, from Abū Isḥāq, from al-ʿAyzār ibn Hurayth,
from ibn ʿAbbās k, from the Prophet g who said, “Whoever establishes
prayer, pays zakāh, performs ḥajj, fasts Ramaḍān and is generous to his
guests will enter Paradise.”
Ḥubayyib is graded as a weak narrator and his narration contradicts the
report of another more reliable narrator who reported this ḥadīth as mawqūf
upon ibn ʿAbbās k. The version of the narration that is reported by a more
reliable narrator is call maʿrūf . A maʿrūf ḥadīth is defined as what a reliable
narrator reports in contradiction to a weak narrator.

‫هو ما رواه اثلقة خمالفا لما رواه الضعيف‬

AL-SHĀDH
Linguistically, the word shādh is the active participle from the verb
shadhdha (ّ‫)شذ‬, which means to be alone, separate, or isolated. The word
shādh literally means something that is alone, isolated, peculiar, or
anomalous. Technically, a shādh ḥadīth is defined as a narration reported by

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a reliable narrator in contradiction to a more reliable narrator.

‫هو ما رواه المقبول خمالفا لمن هو أوىل منه‬

The contradiction could take place either in the chain (isnād) or the text
(matn) itself. The narration of the more reliable narrator is termed al-maḥfūẓ.
It is defined as the narration of the more reliable narrator in contradiction to
the reliable narrator.

‫هو ما رواه األوثق خمالفا لرواية اثلقة‬

Example:

The Prophet g

Ibn ʿAbbās k
(Companion)
ʿIkrimah

ʿAwsajah
Ayyūb

ʿAmr ibn Dīnar

Ḥammād ibn Zayd*
(skipped Ibn ʿAbbās)

Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah Ibn Jurayj

(& more)

Imām Abū Dāwūd

(Compiler)

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

Ibn Abī ʿAmr, from Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, from ʿAmr ibn Dīnar, from
ʿAwsajah, from ibn ʿAbbās k that a man died during the time of the Prophet
g and did not leave any heirs except a freed slave. The Prophet g asked,
“Did he leave anyone?” They replied, “No, except a slave whom he freed.” So
the Prophet g gave him all his inheritance.80
Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, Ibn Jurayj and others narrated this ḥadīth as
uninterrupted (mawṣūl); whereas, Ḥammād ibn Zayd narrated it as mursal.
Ḥammād is a reliable narrator, but his version is considered to be shādh
because it contradicts the version of narrators who are more reliable.

AL-MUʿALLAL
Linguistically, the word muʿallal is the passive participle from the verb
aʿalla (‫)أعل‬, which means to make something defective, weak or to make an
excuse. Technically, a muʿallal ḥadīth is defined as a narration with a hidden
defect that affects its authenticity although it apparently seems to be
authentic.

‫هو احلديث اذلي اطلع فيه ىلع علة تقدح يف صحته مع أن‬
‫الظاهر السالمة منها‬

It is a ḥadīth with a hidden defect that causes it to become weak. The

hidden defect can sometimes be in the chain of the ḥadīth or in the text. An
example of a hidden defect in the chain would be that there are two
individuals, a student and his teacher, that lived during the same time period
and it is an established fact that the student heard aḥādīth directly from the
teacher. But after further investigation it becomes known that the student
did not hear this particular ḥadīth directly from the teacher, but heard it
from another student. Apparently the chain seems connected, but in reality
there is a missing link.

Example:
Yaʿlā ibn ʿUbayd, from Sufyān al-Thawrī, from ʿAmr ibn Dīnār, from
ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar, from the Prophet g who said, “Both parties have the
option.”

80 Abū Dāwūd, k. al-farāʾiḍ, 2905

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 CHAPTER 12: TYPES OF WEAK AHADITH

The chain of this ḥadīth is connected and all of the narrators are graded
as trustworthy and reliable. Apparently it seems to be sound and authentic.
However, Yaʿlā ibn ʿUbayd made a mistake and mentioned the name ʿAmr
ibn Dīnār, while the narration is actually from ʿAbdullāh ibn Dīnār.

AL-MUDRAJ
Linguistically, the word mudraj is the passive participle from the verb
adraja (‫)أدرج‬, which means to insert, include, or incorporate. Mudraj literally
means something that has been inserted or included. Technically, a mudraj
ḥadīth is defined as a narration whose chain has been mentioned incorrectly
or a narration whose text has had something extra inserted into it.

‫ أو أدخل يف متنه ما ليس منه بال فصل‬،‫ما غري سياق إسناده‬

Example:
‫ عن شعبة‬- ‫ فرقهما‬- ‫ما رواه اخلطيب من رواية أيب قطن و شبابة‬
‫ أسبغوا‬ ‫ قال رسول اهلل‬:‫عن حممد بن زياد عن أيب هريرة قال‬
‫ ويل لألعقاب من انلار‬،‫الوضوء‬

AL-MAQLŪB
Linguistically, the word maqlūb is the passive participle from the verb
qalaba (‫)قلب‬, which means to turn, turn inside out or outside in, upside down
or invert. The word maqlūb literally means something that has been turned
upside down or inside out. Technically, a maqlūb ḥadīth is defined as a
narration in which one word has been replaced by another in the chain or
text by reversing the order of the wording.

‫ بتقديم أو تأخري و‬،‫إبدال لفظ بآخر يف سند احلديث أو متنه‬

‫حنوه‬

AL-MUḌṬARIB
Linguistically, the word muḍṭarib is the active participle from the verb
iḍṭaraba (‫)اضطرب‬, which means to be or become disorganized, disordered,
disturbed, or restless. The word muḍṭarib literally means someone or

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

something that makes something else disorganized, disordered, restless, or

uneasy. Technically, a muḍṭarib ḥadīth is defined a narration that has been
narrated in several different ways that are equal in strength.

‫ما روي ىلع أوجه خمتلفة متساوية يف القوة‬

Meaning there are discrepancies either in the chain, or text, or in both in

each of the different versions of the ḥadīth that are difficult to reconcile
because each version is of equal strength.

AL-MUṢAḤḤAF
Linguistically, the word muṣaḥḥaf is the passive participle from the verb
ṣaḥḥafa (‫)ص ّحف‬, which means to misplace the diacritical marks, to misread,
mispronounce, or to distort. The words muṣaḥḥaf literally means something
that has misplaced diacritical marks, is misread, mispronounced, or
distorted. Technically, a muṣaḥḥaf ḥadīth is defined as a narration in which
the orthography of the word is retained while the dots or vowels are changed.

‫تغيري اللكمة يف احلديث إىل غري ما رواه اثلقات لفظا أو معىن‬

ACTING UPON AND USING WEAK NARRATIONS

Now a question that does arise is can weak aḥādīth be used? What is
their legal value? Can they be used to derive or establish legal rulings? Can
they be acted upon? Is it even permissible to narrate them?
The scholars of ḥadīth, uṣūl, and the jurists maintain that it is permissible
to narrate weak aḥādīth with two conditions:

1. The ḥadīth should not be related to the field of belief or creed

2. The ḥadīth should not be associated with legal rulings

Based on the above two conditions, the majority of scholars are of the
opinion that it is permissible to narrate weak aḥādīth that are related to
virtuous deeds, encouraging good, discouraging evil, character, and stories.
However, when narrating a weak ḥadīth it should not be attributed

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 CHAPTER 12: TYPES OF WEAK AHADITH

directly to the Prophet g using definitive terms. Instead of using the

expression “the Prophet g said such and such”, one should say that “such
and such was narrated about him or it has been narrated from him”. The
scholars use language that is in the passive voice.
When it comes to acting upon weak aḥādīth or using them as legal
proofs there is unanimous agreement that it is not permissible to use weak
aḥādīth for issues related to belief or creed. The vast majority also agree that
it is not permissible to use weak aḥādīth to establish legal rulings. There is
a disagreement amongst the scholars regarding the usage of weak aḥādīth
related to the virtues or rewards of deeds, faḍāʾil al-aʿmāl.
There are basically three major opinions when it comes to using weak
aḥādīth for faḍāʾil al-aʿmāl.

1. Weak aḥādīth should not be acted upon without exception,

regardless of whether they are in beliefs, legal rulings, encouraging
and warning or righteous deeds. This was the opinion of great
ḥadīth scholars such as, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, al-Bukhārī, Muslim, ibn
al-ʿArabī the scholar of the Mālikīs, Abu Shama al-Muqaddasi from
the scholars of the Shafiʿī’s, and Ibn Ḥazm.
2. It is permissible to act upon weak aḥādīth without exception if
there is nothing else related in that area of discussion. This was the
opinion of Abū Ḥanīfah, al-Shāfiʿī, Mālik, and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.
3. It is permissible to act upon weak aḥādīth that are related to fadāʾil
al-aʿmāl, al-targhīb and al-tarhīb, and not those that are related to
beliefs and legal rulings.

It is important to note that the scholars who permitted the use of weak
aḥādīth for virtues and to promote good and warn against evil did not leave
the door wide open to allow citing every single weak ḥadīth. Rather, they
placed three conditions that regulate the use of weak ḥadīth:

1. That the ḥadīth not be very weak. Basically, it should not be a
fabricated ḥadīth.
2. That the ḥadīth be within the scope of an authentic legal principle
that is applied and accepted in either the Quran or Sunnah.
3. That its weakness, not authenticity, be realized when applying it.

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 INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

What that means is that when acting upon it a person should not
believe with full certainty that the Prophet g himself actually said it
or did it. Rather, there is a possibility he did so and it is being acted
upon in hope of receiving reward.

No scholar permitted the narration and use of weak aḥādīth

indiscriminately, but rather, stipulated the conditions mentioned above.

112
FURTHER
READING
ENGLISH WORKS
• Kamali, Mohammad Hashim. ​ A Textbook of Ḥadīth Studies.​
Leicestershire, UK: The Islamic Foundation, 2009
• Azami, Muhammad Mustafa. S​tudies in Hadīth Methodology and
Literature​. USA: American Trust Publications, 2012
• Brown, Jonathan A.C. ​Hadith Muhammadʾs Legacy in the Medieval and
Modern World.​UK: Oneworld Publications, 2010

ARABIC WORKS
• ʿItr, Nūr al-Dīn. M
​ anhaj al-Naqd fī ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth. Damascus: Dār al-
Fikr, 2006
• Al-Ṭaḥḥān, Maḥmūd. Taysīr Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīth. Karachi: Maktabah al-
Bushrā, 2014

113
BIBLIOGRAPHY
• al-Bukhārī, Muḥammad b. Ismāʿī​l. ​Al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ​. Cited by chapter,
subchapter system.
• b. al-Ḥajjāj, Muslim. Ṣaḥī​ḥ Muslim. Cited by chapter, subchapter
system.
• al-Nasāʾ​ī​, Aḥmad b. Shuʿayb. S​unan.​Cited by chapter, subchapter
system.
• al-Sijistān​ī, Abū Dāwūd. A
​ l-Sunan.​Cited by chapter, subchapter system.
• al-Tirmidh​ī​, Muḥammad b. ʿĪ̄​sā. A
​ l-Jāmiʿ​. Cited by chapter, subchapter
system.
• al-Haythami, ʿAlī b. Abū Bakr. Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid. Cited by chapter,
subchapter system.
• al-Ḥākim, Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullah al-Naysāburī. Al-Mustadrak ʿalā al-
Ṣaḥiḥayn.

115
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shaykh Furhan Zubairi was born in 1983 in Indianapolis, IN. Shortly
thereafter, he moved and spent most of his youth in Southern California,
graduating from high school in Irvine in 2001. He began his pursuit of Is-
lamic knowledge and spirituality at the Institute of Knowledge (IOK) in 1998
where he started the memorization of the Quran and studied the primary
books in the Islamic sciences and Arabic language. After starting college,
he took a break and went to Karachi, Pakistan for 9 months to complete
the memorization of the Quran at Jamiʿah Binoria. He returned home and
completed his B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California,
Irvine in 2005. He then traveled to Egypt to further his studies of the Arabic
language. Thereafter, his pursuit of Islamic knowledge led him back to Paki-
stan where he completed a formal ‘Alamiyyah degree (Masters in Arabic and
Islamic Studies) at the famous Jami‘ah Darul-Uloom in Karachi, where he
studied with prominent scholars. He has obtained numerous ijaazaat (tra-
ditional licenses) in the six authentic books of hadith Siha Sittah as well as
the Muwattas of Imam Malik and Imam Muhammad and has also received
certification in the field of Islamic Finance. Shaykh Furhan Zubairi serves as
the Director of Religious Education and is the Dean of the Seminary Pro-
gram (IOKseminary.com) at the Institute of Knowledge in Diamond Bar,
CA. He regularly delivers khutbahs and lectures at various Islamic Centers
and events in Southern California.
 The Institute of Knowledge Seminary Curriculum Series
is a collection of books designed to build literacy amongst the Muslim
community in the major branches of Islamic Studies including ʿAqīdah,
Quran, Ḥadīth, Fiqh, Uṣūl al-Fiqh, Sīrah and Tazkiyah. The books go
hand in hand with the with the courses offered through the IOK Seminary
Program, which provides educational courses, programs and seminars to
the wider local and international community.

Visit IOKseminary.com to learn more, view the full catalog

and attend classes on-site, online and on-demand.

FORTHCOMING WORKS:

• A Brief Introduction to Uṣūl al-Fiqh

• A Brief Introduction to Tajwīd
• A Brief Commentary on Imām al-Nawawī’s Forty Ḥadīth
• Tafsīr of Juz ʿAmma
• An Introduction to the Ḥanafī Madhab
Notes

121
INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

122
Notes

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INTRODUCTION TO HADITH STUDIES

124
Notes

125