Understanding Hadith and Khabar in Islamic Studies

Understanding Hadith and Khabar

• Science to understand the condition of a narrator and that which he narrates from the angle of acceptance or rejection.
• Main benefit: Having knowledge of what is accepted or rejected (Ahadith or Rawi).

Types of Khabar

• Hadith: Narration directly attributed to the Messenger (SAW), whether it be a statement, action, or description of his behavior or physical appearance.
• Khabar: Report which is general, attributed to the Messenger (SAW) or other than him.
• Athar: Narration attributed to the Sahaba or Tabi'een, can also be used for the Messenger (SAW) but with explicit mention.
• Hadith Qudusi/Rabbani/Ilahi: Narration from the Messenger (SAW) on the authority of Allah SWT, cannot be used in Salah.

Mutawatir Definition

• Narration that has been narrated by a group of people, where it is impossible for this group of people to agree upon a lie, based on what is tangible.
• Categories of Mutawatir:
  • Mutawatir lafdhan (text) wal ma'nan (meaning)
  • Mutawatir bil ma'na (meaning)
• Benefits of Mutawatir:
  • Gives us certainty that the narration is correct and valid without doubt.
  • Allows us to act upon the narration without doubt.

Categories of Ahad

• Two main divisions:
  • First, looking at the way the Hadith has come to us, examining the chain of narration.
  • Second, looking at the number of narrators:
    • Al Mashhur: Narrated by 3 or more narrators, without reaching the point of mutawatir.
    • Al Azeez: Narration with 2 narrators, not narrated by less than 2 narrators on any level of the chain.
    • Al Ghareeb: Narrated by one narrator at any one stage in the chain.

Levels of Ahad

• Saheeh Li Dhatihi (Authentic in and of itself): Chain is safe from opposition, hidden defects, narrators are 'udul, complete in their memory, and chain is connected.
• Saheeh Li Ghayrihi (External Factors): Authentic due to external factors.
• Hasan Li Dhatihi (Fair in and of itself): Fair due to its own merit.
• Hasan Li Ghayrihi (Fair due to external factors): Fair due to external factors.
• Daeef (Weak): Not meeting the criteria of authenticity.

How to Determine Authenticity of a Hadith

• Check if the Hadith is in a work where the author has committed to authenticity.
• Check if the author is reliable in their judgment on authenticity, such as Al-Bukhari and Muslim.