Al-maroof, al-munkar and al-mutaba'ah
Understanding al-maroof, al-munkar and al-mutaba'ah
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful…
Have you ever repeated something from a lesson, only for a friend to say, "That is not how the teacher said it"? Now there are two versions of the same words. Before deciding which one to hold on to, most of us would first ask: who said each one?
The scholars of hadith look at every narration with this care. When a weak narrator narrates something opposing what a thiqah narrator narrates, they have a name for each of the two reports. And when a wording looks as though only one narrator carries it, they search for its other routes, and they have names for what they find.
In the previous part, on ziyadat al-thiqah and al-Tirmidhi's terms, we studied what the scholars say when a thiqah narrator adds to a narration. In this part we learn al-khabar al-maroof and al-khabar al-munkar, then al-mutaba'ah, with the mutabi', the shahid and al-i'tibar.
Note: Don't worry if the words thiqah, sadooq, da'eef and majhool are new to you. They describe the narrators themselves, and the narrators get their own lessons later in this series, inshaAllah. For now, the thiqah is the trustworthy narrator (Imaad Ali Jumah, Mustalah al-Hadeeth Made Easy, p. 12), and the da'eef is the weak one.
The story in five steps
Here is the path we are about to walk.
Here is the map of how narrations are classified, as far as we have built it. Press Next to add this part's branches, and press any word on it to read what it means.
Al-Maroof and al-munkar
Al-Khabar al-Maroof: a khabar in which a thiqah narrator narrates opposing a weak narrator. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 31)
Al-Khabar al-Munkar: a khabar in which a weak narrator narrates opposing a thiqah narrator. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, )
The course book adds that al-maroof is the counterpart of al-munkar. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, )
Note: The example below uses two words from a later lesson, marfoo and mawqoof. Here the marfoo form is narrated "from Ibn Abbas, from the Prophet (ﷺ)", and the mawqoof form is, as the editor of Nuzhat al-Nazar explains it, "from the words of Ibn Abbas". (Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 73)
Example: a hadith narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim from the route of Hubaib bin Habeeb (the brother of Hamzah al-Zayyat), who is a weak narrator. Hubaib narrated from Abu Ishaaq, he from al-Ayzar bin Huraith, and he from Abdullah bin Abbas in marfoo form, that "whoever establishes salah, gives zakah, performs hajj of the House of Allah, fasts in the month of Ramadan and treats his guests well will go to Jannah". (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 31; Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, pp. 72–73)
Abu Hatim said: narrating this hadith in marfoo form is munkar, because the thiqaat have narrated it from Abu Ishaaq, he from al-Ayzar bin Huraith, and he from Abdullah bin Abbas in mawqoof form, and narrating it in mawqoof form is maroof. (as quoted in Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 73; Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 31)
The course book also quotes Abu Zur'ah, who was asked about this hadith: "This is a munkar hadith; it is only from Ibn Abbas, mawqoof." (Ibn Abi Hatim, Al-Ilal, no. 2043, 5/359; Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 31)
Points of benefit:
Another definition of munkar: a hadith in which a da'eef narrator is alone in narrating it. (al-Bayquni, Al-Mandhumah al-Bayquniyyah, line 30; Ibn Kathir, Ikhtisar Uloom al-Hadith, with Ahmad Shakir's Al-Ba'ith al-Hathith, 1/157; Muqaddimah Ibn al-Salah, ed. Itr, p. 82)
Example: Ibn Majah narrated:
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بِشْرٍ بَكْرُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ الْمَدَنِيُّ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: «كُلُوا الْبَلَحَ بِالتَّمْرِ، كُلُوا الْخَلَقَ بِالْجَدِيدِ، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَغْضَبُ، وَيَقُولُ بَقِيَ ابْنُ آدَمَ، حَتَّى أَكَلَ الْخَلَقَ بِالْجَدِيدِ»
It was narrated from Aishah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Eat unripe dates with ripe ones and eat old dates with new ones, for Satan gets angry and says: 'The son of Adam will survive so long as he eats old dates with new ones.'" (Sunan Ibn Majah 3330, 2/1105)
Yahya bin Muhammad bin Qays al-Madani is alone in transmitting it (Muqaddimah Ibn al-Salah, ed. Itr, p. 82), and he is weak (al-Busiri, Misbah al-Zujajah fi Zawa'id Ibn Majah, as quoted in Muhammad Fuad Abdul Baqi's note on Sunan Ibn Majah 3330, 2/1105). Ibn al-Salah brought this as an example of a munkar narration in his Muqaddimah Ibn al-Salah (p. 82). Al-Dhahabi said: "It is munkar." (al-Dhahabi, Talkhis al-Mustadrak, on al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn 7138, 4/135) Al-Albani said it is "mawdoo" in Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'eefah wa al-Mawdoo'ah no. 231 (1/401), and Ibn al-Jawzi mentioned it in al-Mawdoo'at (3/26).
Other usages of munkar
Some other usages of munkar according to the Mutaqaddimeen:
1) Munkar due to the tafarrud of some middle-level thiqah or sadooq narrators. Al-Dhahabi said in al-Muqizah: "A group of huffadh have sometimes said that a narration in which narrators like Hushaim or Hafs are alone is munkar." (al-Dhahabi, Al-Muqizah fi Ilm Mustalah al-Hadith, ed. Abu Ghuddah, p. 77) Thus they (the Mutaqaddimeen) have sometimes used the word munkar for the lone narrations of some thiqah narrators, as they found that their narration was a mistake.
Example: there is a hadith in Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'eefah wa al-Mawdoo'ah, no. 3154: "Indeed, Allah will forgive the unread on the Day of Judgement in things that He will not forgive the ulama." It is narrated by Sayyar bin Hatim (sadooq), from Ja'far bin Sulayman (sadooq), from Thabit, from Anas. Imam Ahmad said: "munkar" (a tafarrud of a sadooq narrator), and: "the mistake is from Ja'far". Imam al-Albani said: "munkar". (al-Albani, Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'eefah wa al-Mawdoo'ah, no. 3154, 7/143–144)
2) Some have used shaadh and munkar interchangeably. Imam al-Hafidh Salih bin Muhammad al-Asadi (d. 294) said: "The hadith shaadh is the hadith munkar, that which is not known." (al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Al-Kifayah fi Ilm al-Riwayah, p. 141; al-Hasani, Taqreeb Mustalahat, p. 22)
3) They have sometimes used the word munkar for a single chain with majhool narrators. Imam al-Uqayli said in al-Du'afa al-Kabir, no. 1387: "Uqbah bin Abdullah al-Anazi, from Qatadah, is majhool bil naql, and his hadith is munkar." (al-Uqayli, Al-Du'afa al-Kabir, no. 1387, 3/353)
4) They have sometimes used the word munkar for fabricated narrations. (al-Hasani, Taqreeb Mustalahat, p. 23)
Summary. Al-Khabar al-Munkar is:
- a khabar in which a weak narrator narrates opposing a thiqah narrator;
- a hadith in which a da'eef narrator is alone (tafarrud) in narrating it;
- a hadith which has been declared munkar by the Mutaqaddimeen due to a mistake of the narrator, whether it is the narration of a thiqah, a sadooq or a weak narrator.
Al-Mutaba'ah: agreeing
Definition:
- Linguistically: agreeing. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 32)
- Technically: the narrator has corroboration in his narration (the support of a narrator in the narration of a particular hadith with another narrator). (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 32; al-Tahhan, Taysir Mustalah al-Hadith, p. 178)
Types: (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, )
1) Al-Mutaba'ah al-Tammah: the narrator himself has corroboration in his narration.
That is, complete corroboration, which refers to sharing a common chain from the beginning to the end. Meaning, the narrator who corroborates another narrator, both share a common chain from their Shaykh (teacher) till the end of the narration (agreement with the narrator exists from the beginning of the isnaad: al-Tahhan, Taysir Mustalah al-Hadith, p. 178).
2) Al-Mutaba'ah al-Qasirah: the teacher of the narrator, or the chain above him, has corroboration in his narration. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 32; Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 74)
That is, incomplete corroboration, which refers to the follow-up of the chain from the middle till the end. Meaning, the narrator who corroborates another narrator, both share a common chain somewhere above their Shaykh, i.e. either at the Shaykh of the Shaykh or further above: both their chains join at a common narrator (agreement with the narrator exists from a later point during the isnaad: al-Tahhan, Taysir Mustalah al-Hadith, p. 178).
The mutabi', shahid and i'tibar
Al-Mutabi' (المتابِع, with a kasra on the baa): that khabar which corroborates the narration of a sole narrator in its meaning and wording, or just in its meaning. And in both the narrations the Sahabi is the same. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 32) The course book adds that it is also called tabi'. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, )
Al-Shahid (الشاهد): that khabar which corroborates the narration of a sole narrator in its meaning and wording, or just in its meaning. And in both the narrations the Sahabi is different. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, )
Some Usooliyyeen have said that al-mutabi' is a khabar which corroborates the narration of a sole narrator in its wording, and al-shahid is a khabar which corroborates the narration of a sole narrator in its meaning, irrespective of whether the Sahabi is the same or different. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 32; Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 75)
The course book adds that each of the mutabi' and the shahid is sometimes used for the other. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, )
Al-I'tibar: it is to research and ponder to find out if a particular khabar al-fard has any mutabi' or shahid. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 33; Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 75)
The month is twenty-nine
Hafidh Ibn Hajar gave the following example for al-mutabi' and al-shahid. (Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, pp. 74–75; Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 33)
Imam al-Shafi'i narrates in his book Al-Umm, from Imam Malik, who narrates from Abdullah bin Dinar, who narrates from Ibn Umar, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "A month has twenty-nine days in it. Do not start the fast or break it until you see the new moon, but if the sky is cloudy for you (on the 29th of the month), then complete the month as thirty days." (al-Shafi'i, Kitab al-Umm, 2/103)
Some people assumed that Imam al-Shafi'i is alone in narrating the words "then complete the month as thirty days" in this hadith, as compared to the other companions of Imam Malik, whereas the other students of Malik narrated it «فَاقْدِرُوا لَهُ», meaning "calculate it". But the reality of the matter is that it has both al-mutaba'ah al-tammah and al-mutaba'ah al-qasirah. (Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 74)
Imam al-Bukhari brings the mutaba'ah tammah in his Sahih:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رضي الله عنهما: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: «الشَّهْرُ تِسْعٌ وَعِشْرُونَ لَيْلَةً، فَلَا تَصُومُوا حَتَّى تَرَوْهُ، فَإِنْ غُمَّ عَلَيْكُمْ فَأَكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ ثَلَاثِينَ»
Narrated Abdullah bin Umar: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The month (can be) 29 nights (i.e. days), and do not fast till you see the moon, and if the sky is overcast, then complete Sha'ban as thirty days." (Sahih al-Bukhari 1907, 3/27)
And it is sahih of the highest degree. (Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, p. 33)
Here Abdullah bin Maslamah al-Qa'nabi agreed with Imam al-Shafi'i in narrating it from Malik with the same common chain. Thus it is al-mutaba'ah al-tammah, or complete corroboration. (Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 74)
Ibn Khuzaymah narrated in his Sahih through the route of Asim bin Muhammad bin Zayd, from his father (Muhammad bin Zayd), who narrates from his grandfather (that is, Ibn Umar), with the wording "complete as thirty days". (Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah 1909, 3/202) This is al-mutaba'ah al-qasirah. (Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 74)
And likewise Imam Muslim narrates in his Sahih through the route of Ubaydullah bin Umar, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, with the wording "complete as thirty days". (Sahih Muslim 1080, 2/759)
In the two narrations of Ibn Khuzaymah and Sahih Muslim, Asim bin Muhammad bin Zayd and Ubaydullah bin Umar agree on narrating it from Ibn Umar. Thus they are al-mutaba'ah al-qasirah, or incomplete corroboration. (Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 74)
As for the shahid, it is reported by al-Nasa'i from the route of Muhammad bin Hunayn, from Ibn Abbas, from the Prophet (ﷺ), with wording like that which is reported by Abdullah bin Dinar from Ibn Umar. (Sunan al-Nasa'i 2125, 4/135; Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, ed. Itr, p. 75)
Here is Ibn Hajar's example as a line of track: al-Shafi'i's route, with a station for each of its narrators, from al-Shafi'i up to Ibn Umar, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at the end of the line. Press a book, and its route comes in beside it and joins the line where the two routes meet. Press the same book again to see al-Shafi'i's route alone, as some people assumed it was.
Check what you have learned
Eight questions, taken only from what you just read. Every answer comes with the line that explains it.
Conclusion
We met al-khabar al-munkar, a khabar in which a weak narrator narrates opposing a thiqah narrator, and its counterpart, al-khabar al-maroof; the other definition of munkar, a hadith in which a da'eef narrator is alone; and the other ways the Mutaqaddimeen used the word. Then al-mutaba'ah: tammah when the narrator himself has corroboration, qasirah when it is his teacher or the chain above him; the mutabi' when the Sahabi is the same and the shahid when he is different; and al-i'tibar, to research and ponder to find out if a khabar al-fard has any mutabi' or shahid.
One thing to keep: some people assumed that Imam al-Shafi'i was alone in the words "then complete the month as thirty days", but the reality of the matter is that it has both al-mutaba'ah al-tammah and al-mutaba'ah al-qasirah.
InshaAllah, in the next part we take up al-muhkam and mukhtalaf al-hadith.
Sources
This lesson follows the course book. Each quotation and report is cited where it appears, and the original works it was checked against are listed here.
- Min Atyab al-Minah fi Ilm al-Mustalah, Shaykh Abdul Muhsin Al-Abbad and Shaykh Abdul Kareem al-Murad, pp. 31–33 (the printed course book).
- Ibn Hajar, Nuzhat al-Nazar fee Tawdih Nukhbat al-Fikar, edited by Nur al-Din Itr, pp. 72–73 and pp. 74–75.
- al-Shafi'i, Kitab al-Umm, Dar al-Fikr, 2/103.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Sultaniyyah edition: 1907 (3/27).
- Sahih Muslim, edited by Muhammad Fuad Abdul Baqi: 1080 (2/759).
- Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 1909 (3/202).
- Sunan al-Nasa'i, al-Misriyyah edition: 2125 (4/135).
- Sunan Ibn Majah, edited by Muhammad Fuad Abdul Baqi: 3330 (2/1105).
- al-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn, with al-Dhahabi's Talkhis, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah: 7138 (4/135).
- Muqaddimah Ibn al-Salah (Marifat Anwa Uloom al-Hadith), edited by Nur al-Din Itr, p. 82.
- Ibn Kathir, Ikhtisar Uloom al-Hadith, with Ahmad Shakir's Al-Ba'ith al-Hathith, 1/157.
- al-Bayquni, Al-Mandhumah al-Bayquniyyah, line 30.
- al-Dhahabi, Al-Muqizah fi Ilm Mustalah al-Hadith, edited by Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, p. 77.
- al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Al-Kifayah fi Ilm al-Riwayah, p. 141.
- al-Uqayli, Al-Du'afa al-Kabir, no. 1387 (3/353).
- Ibn al-Jawzi, Al-Mawdoo'at, 3/26.
- Ibn Abi Hatim, Al-Ilal, edited by a team of researchers under Sa'd al-Humayyid and Khalid al-Juraysi, no. 2043 (5/359).
- al-Albani, Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'eefah wa al-Mawdoo'ah: no. 231 (1/401) and no. 3154 (7/143–144).
- Mahmud al-Tahhan, Taysir Mustalah al-Hadith, p. 178.
- Dr. Imaad Ali Jumah, Mustalah al-Hadeeth Made Easy, p. 8 (its chart, for the place of the munkar on the map) and p. 12.
- al-Hasani, Taqreeb Mustalahat, pp. 22–23, as the class notes cite it.
Found a mistake or something to improve? Suggest a fix or report an issue on GitHub.