Hadith Terminology

Usul al-Hadith — the science of narration

...there is a form of *Fiqh* (as well). This is the second benefit. In it is the explanation of the defects of ahadith, the authentic, the weak, and the distinction of their ranks, which is the third benefit. In it is the explanation of names and agnomens (Kunyat), which is the fourth benefit. In it is the amendment of extraction, which is the fifth benefit. Tirmidhi has also stated regarding the ahadith whose chain he describes whether they (the narrators) merely attained the companionship of the Messenger ﷺ or not. This is the sixth benefit. Tirmidhi has also explained which Imams have narrated this hadith. This is the seventh benefit. These are the general benefits mentioned; the detailed benefits are many. In short, the *Sunan* of Tirmidhi has many benefits and is full of specialties. Shaykh Ibn Hajar has stated that what becomes apparent from the speech of Abu Ali, which gives preference to *Sahih Muslim* over all books (in which *Sahih Bukhari* is also included), is because of those qualities which are not in other books. But whoever argues upon a particular issue, meaning the desired conditions of authenticity (then from this perspective, Bukhari alone holds virtue), and the reason for giving preference to Muslim is that he authored his book in the presence of his scholars and masters (meaning in front of his teachers), and during the lifetime of most teachers, he authored his book. He writes words with great investigation and takes great care of the context of the phrase in a way that Bukhari arranges the deduction of rulings. Muslim does not pay attention to this; this is the reason he writes pieces of a Bukhari narration, and Muslim writes the entire hadith. Muslim explains all the paths of a hadith in one place, and Bukhari states it through different narrations in different places. Muslim completely does not write *Mauquf* ahadith, but Bukhari sometimes brings odd and rare things in the status of a *Tabi'* [corroborating narration], not as a primary objective.

[Translator's Note: The English word 'Terminology' is written by hand above the Urdu heading.]

Hadith: That which applies to the saying, action, and tacit approval of the Noble Messenger ﷺ. Marfu: That hadith which ends at the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (meaning in which it is said "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said"). Mauquf: That (hadith) which ends at a Sahabi. Maqtu: That (athar) which ends at a Tabi'i. Khabar, Hadith, Athar: These words are synonymous (have the same meaning). Sanad: The path of the hadith; and the one who narrates it is called an *Isnad*. Matn: Where the *Sanad* ends, from there the text of the hadith begins. Muttasil: That hadith whose narrator in the middle has not been dropped.

Munqati: A hadith in which one narrator or multiple un-connected narrators are omitted. Mu'allaq: (A hadith in which) one or more narrators are omitted from the beginning of the chain, and sometimes the entire chain is omitted. When Imams suspend (do Ta'leeq of) ahadith, they are connected (*Muttasil*) and authentic (*Sahih*) ahadith, like the *Ta'liqat* of Bukhari. Mursal: After the Tabi'i at the end of the chain, a narrator is dropped, and the ruling of the *Mursal* is that one should pause (Tawaqquf) in it. Mu'dal: The hadith in whose chain two narrators consecutively drop. Mudallas: The hadith in which a narrator does not take the name of his teacher, but rather narrates from someone above him. Using such words which create the suspicion that he heard it, while there is no certainty of falsehood in the hadith. And the opinion of the majority is that a *Mudallas* hadith is accepted from such a person about whom it is known that such a person does not narrate without a trustworthy person, like Ibn Uyaynah. Mudtarib: That hadith in which there is a difference among narrators in the *Matn* (text) and *Isnad* (chain), through precedence, delay, addition, or deficiency, or instead of one narrator another narrator is mentioned. Or one *Matn* comes in place of another *Matn*. Distortion (*Tashif*) or abbreviation or omission in the names of the chain or parts of the text, or any other matter of this sort. If it is possible to reconcile them, then it is better; otherwise, in such a case, one should pause. Mudraj: That in which the narrator has inserted his own speech or that of someone else, whether a Sahabi or a Tabi'i, for the purpose of explaining the meaning of some dictionary word or to restrict some absolute meaning. Mu'annan: That hadith in which the narrator describes it like this: that so-and-so mentioned to me and from so-and-so, he described it thus. Shaadh: That hadith which a trustworthy narrator narrates in opposition to other narrators. Some describe it as the hadith which the outweighed (*Marjuh*) trustworthy narrator narrates against the preponderant (*Raji'*) trustworthy narrator. Some say it is that which the trustworthy narrator is alone in narrating, and its concurring original (narration) is not found. Mardud: That hadith in which an untrustworthy narrator narrates in opposition to a trustworthy one. Mahfuz: That hadith which a preponderant (*Raji'*) trustworthy narrator has narrated. Munkar: That hadith in which the weak narrator is opposed to the narration of weaker narrators from himself. Mu'allal: That hadith in whose chain there are hidden illnesses and causes, due to which an expert who finds faults in authenticity becomes alerted. Upon seeing the origin of this type of hadith, one discovers sending (*Irsal*), making a connected (*Mawsul*) hadith suspended (*Waqf*), and making a raised (*Marfu'*) hadith... and other matters in which these types exist.

Shahid: That hadith in which a Sahabi narrates in concurrence with another Sahabi. Tabi': That hadith in which one narrator narrates in concurrence with another narrator. Sahih: That hadith which a just (*Adil*), precise (*Dabit*) narrator has narrated, which is neither defective (*Mu'allal*) nor anomalous (*Shaadh*). Sahih Li-Dhatihi: A just and precise narrator is on the complete path of narration, and it is not defective or anomalous. Sahih Li-Ghayrihi: That in the authenticity of which there is a flaw of a single kind, and in it something is found through which the deficiency is removed by an abundance of paths. Hasan Li-Dhatihi: That hadith which fulfils all the conditions of ṣaḥīḥ except that one or more of its narrators have a slight deficiency in precision (ḍabṭ) — they are truthful but not fully exact in memory — without that deficiency removing it from the level of acceptable proof. Zaeef: That hadith in which the conditions considered for *Sahih* are missing, entirely or partially. Hasan Li-Ghayrihi: That weak hadith whose narrators are many. The abundance of narrations has somehow compensated for the weakness (several weak ones combine to become *Hasan Li-Ghayrihi*). Adalat: That trait in a person which produces piety (adherence) and manliness. Whether he is free or a slave. Muru'at: That trait whereby a person remains free from such characteristics and flaws that are contrary to high ambition. Taqwa: To save oneself from bad actions, such as *Shirk*, *Fisq* (transgression), *Bid'ah* (innovation), and insisting on minor sins. Ta'n: (Which is related to *Adalat*) Lying in the hadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, and accusation, *Fisq*, and ignorance, and *Bid'ah* in beliefs. Mawdu': To be proven a false narrator in the Prophetic Hadith, whether by his own confession that he fabricated a false hadith, or other than this, its (this falsehood's) proof is from indications. Matruk: Being accused of falsehood, other than in hadith, contrary to definitive known rules of Shari'ah. Mubham: That hadith whose narrator is unknown and obscure, unacceptable, unless if it is a Sahabi, then it is acceptable, because all Sahaba are just (*Udool*), and criticism and endorsement (*Jarh wa Ta'deel*) cannot happen upon a Sahabi. Wajah Ta'n Dhabt Mein: (Reasons for criticism regarding precision) Excessive heedlessness in listening, making mistakes in names during the bearing of hadith, and opposition to trustworthy narrators in chain and text in fulfilling it. Mukhtalit: Narration of weak memory due to illness, like disruption of memory because of old age, or loss of sight, or of books...

...becomes lost. Thus, in such a situation, a narration will not be accepted from him. Of course, that narration is acceptable which is prior to the disruption (*Ikhtilat*) and mixing. In which it is known that he narrated this before the current state (then that narration will be acceptable). Gharib and Fard: That hadith whose narration is by only one narrator. Even if the narration is in one place. Aziz: That hadith whose narrators are not less than two. Mashhur and Mustafidh: That hadith whose narrators are more than two, but the narration does not reach the limit of *Tawatur*. Mutawatir: That hadith which a group has narrated from another group, whose abundance is such that the intellect cannot believe in their agreement upon a lie.

خ: For Bukhari. م: For Muslim. ق: Agreed upon (*Muttafaq 'Alayh*). د: For Abu Dawood. ت: For Tirmidhi. ن: For Nasai. ہ: For Ibn Majah. ۴: For Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Nasai, and Ibn Majah. ۳: For Abu Dawood, Nasai, and Tirmidhi. حم: For Ahmad in his *Musnad*. عم: For Ahmad's son Abdullah in his *Zawa'id*. ک: For Hakim. خد: For Bukhari in *Al-Adab Al-Mufrad*. تخ: For Bukhari in his *Tarikh*. حب: For Ibn Hibban in his *Sahih*. طب: For Tabarani in his *Mu'jam Al-Kabir*. طس: For Tabarani in *Al-Awsat*. طص: For Tabarani in *Al-Saghir*. ش: For Ibn Abi Shaybah. عب: For Abd Al-Razzaq in his *Jami'*. ع: For Abu Ya'la. قط: For Daraqutni. فر: For Dailami in *Musnad Al-Firdaws*. حل: For Abu Nu'aym in *Al-Hilyah*. ھب: For Bayhaqi in *Shu'ab Al-Iman*. ھق: For Bayhaqi in *Sunan* (meaning ahadith). عد: For Ibn Uday in *Al-Kamil*. خط: For Khatib. ط: For Abu Dawood Tayalisi. ض: For Diya Al-Maqdisi. کر: For Ibn Asakir. الست: For Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Nasai, and Malik. الخمسة: Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, and Nasai. الاربعة: Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, and Nasai [Translator's Note: Urdu omits Ibn Majah here, though typically Arba'ah includes it]. الثلاثة: Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, and Nasai [Translator's Note: In Mishkat's abbreviation system, al-Thalathah refers to Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, and al-Nasaʾi; not Bukhari, Muslim, and Malik]. الشیخان: Bukhari and Muslim. متفق عليه: Bukhari and Muslim.

Imam A'zam: Imam A'zam Abu Hanifa Nu'man bin Thabit bin Zuta, Kufi. His grandfather Zuta was from Kabul, and Thabit went to Hazrat Ali...