Terminology

Hadith & Sunnah glossary

Clear definitions of the 24 terms most often used when reading hadith and learning the science of their authentication.

Core concepts

Hadith — ḥadīth: A report of the words, actions, or tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Together with the Qur'an, hadith form the basis of Islamic guidance and law.
Sunnah: The example and way of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) — his sayings, deeds, and approvals — as preserved through hadith.
Hadith Qudsi — sacred hadith: A narration in which the Prophet conveys a meaning revealed by Allah, expressed in the Prophet's own words. It is distinct from the Qur'an, whose exact wording is divine.
Athar: A report transmitted from a Companion or Successor rather than directly from the Prophet; sometimes used as a synonym for hadith.

Isnad — sanad — the chain: The chain of narrators who transmitted a hadith, each from the one before, reaching back to the Prophet. Authenticity is judged largely by scrutinising this chain.
Matn — the text: The actual content of a hadith — the saying or description of an action — examined for coherence with the Qur'an and other established reports.
Rawi — narrator: A transmitter in the chain of a hadith. The reliability, memory, and integrity of each rawi are assessed by hadith scholars.

Sahih — authentic: A hadith with a sound, unbroken chain of fully reliable narrators and a sound text — the highest grade of authenticity.
Hasan — good: A reliable hadith that falls slightly below the strength of sahih, typically due to a narrator of slightly lesser precision.
Da'if — weak: A hadith with a flaw in its chain or text — such as a broken link or an unreliable narrator — that lowers its reliability.
Mawdu' — fabricated: A report falsely attributed to the Prophet. Fabricated narrations are rejected and are not acted upon.

Mutawatir — mass-transmitted: A hadith reported by so many narrators at every stage that their collusion on a falsehood is inconceivable, yielding certainty.
Ahad — solitary: A hadith transmitted through a limited number of chains, not reaching the level of mutawatir. Most hadith fall into this category.
Marfu': A narration attributed to the Prophet himself, whether the chain is connected or not.
Mawquf: A narration attributed to a Companion (his statement or action), not raised to the Prophet.
Mursal: A narration in which a Successor reports directly from the Prophet, omitting the Companion in the chain.

Sahabah — Companions: Those who met the Prophet, believed in him, and died as Muslims. They are the first link after the Prophet in most chains.
Tabi'un — Successors: The generation who met the Companions but not the Prophet; the second generation of transmitters.
Jarh wa Ta'dil — critique and accreditation: The science of evaluating narrators — disparaging the unreliable (jarh) and authenticating the trustworthy (ta'dil).

Kutub al-Sittah — the Six Books: The six canonical Sunni collections: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa'i, and Sunan Ibn Majah.
Sahihayn — the Two Sahihs: Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim together — regarded as the two most authentic hadith collections.
Sunan: A hadith collection organised by topics of Islamic law (fiqh), such as Sunan Abi Dawud or Sunan an-Nasa'i.
Musnad: A collection arranged by the name of the Companion who narrated each hadith, such as Musnad Ahmad.
Ilm al-Hadith — mustalah al-hadith: The science of hadith — the methodology for classifying, authenticating, and interpreting narrations.

Keep learning

Now that the vocabulary is clear, explore the collections or read a narration in full.