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Q&A · Hadith

What do the terms mashhur, 'aziz, and gharib mean in hadith classification?

These terms classify ahad hadith by how many independent chains carry them at their narrowest link. Mashhur ("well-known") has at least three chains in each layer, 'aziz has at least two, and gharib ("solitary") has only a single narrator at some stage. A famous gharib example is "Actions are but by intentions," which at its origin was reported only by 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and passed through a single narrator in each early link, yet it is fully sahih and placed first in Sahih al-Bukhari. This shows that being gharib does not by itself weaken a hadith — authenticity rests on the reliability of the narrators, not merely their number.

Evidence — the daleel
Sahih al-Bukhari 1 ṢaḥīḥSahih Muslim 1907 Ṣaḥīḥ
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