A GLOSSARY OF THE MORE COMMON TECHNICAL TERMS USED IN THE HADITH LITERATURE

'aziz. Precious. An authentic tradition coming from two Companions.

da'if. Not fulfilling the required conditions.

fard. See gharib.

gharib. Authentic, but resting on the authority of only one Companion.

hasan. Of fair authority; with a slight fault.

ijmali. Referring to many things.

mahfuz. One of two suspicious traditions which has a slight advantage over its rival.

manqul. Handed down by tradition.

mansukh. Abrogated.

maqbul. Received generally; fulfilling all conditions.

maqlub. Known to have come from a person other than the soi-disant reporter.

maqtu'. An isnad which is interrupted or cut off.

mardud. A tradition from a doubtful source which contradicts a tradition of good standing.

marfu'. Record of a word or deed of the prophet reported by the Companion who heard or saw it.

ma'ruf. Weak, yet known because it is confirmed by another.

mashhur. A tradition vouched for by more than two Companions.

maudu'. False.

mauquf. An isnad going back to the Companions, but stopping short of the prophet.

mu'allal. An isnad or text with a hidden fault.

mu'allaq. Suspended i. e. without the name of the Companion.

mubham. Coming from one of whom one knows nothing but the name.

mu'dal. An isnad from which a name has disappeared.

mudallas. A tradition falsely ascribed to an early authority.

mudraj. A gloss or observation inserted by one of the first reporters of the tradition.

mudtarab. A tradition in which a word has become misplaced, added, or suppressed, or suffered any kind of derangement.

mukhtalif. Two traditions which are in apparent contradiction, but which can be reconciled.

munkar. A tradition of weak authority contradicted by a weaker one.

munqala'. An isnad from which a name has disappeared.

mursal. A text without isnad, or one with an incomplete isnad, or without the name of the Follower.

musahhaf. An isnad in which a name is badly written; or, a text in which a word is badly written.

musalsal. With a chain of authorities reaching back to the prophet.

mushkal. Of doubtful authority.

musnad. A tradition whose isnad goes back to the prophet. A collection of such supported traditions.

mustaf'id. See mashhir.

mutabi. A tradition similar in import to another one going back to the same authority.

mutawatir. Reported by numerous authorities.

mutqin. Accurate reporter.

muttafaq 'alaihi. Received by Bukhari and Muslim.

muttasal. A tradition with an uninterrupted isnad.

nasikh. Abrogating.

rawi. One who reports a tradition.

sahih. Genuine; fulfilling all conditions.

shadhdh. Exceptional. A tradition of good authority yet in conflict with another similarly attested.

shahid. A tradition from a Companion bearing witness to or confirming one from another Companion.

tariq. The route, or reporters, by which the tradition has come.

thiqa. Trustworthy reporter.


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