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What is the acceptable degree of a Hadith when citing it as proof, and does the degree differ based on the Imam who narrated it?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The hadith that is acted upon and used as evidence is one that fulfills the conditions of acceptance. The degrees of acceptance vary: the highest is the Mutawatir, then what the two Sheikhs (Bukhari and Muslim) agreed upon, then what Bukhari alone narrated, then what Muslim alone narrated, then what meets their conditions, then what meets Bukhari's condition, then what meets Muslim's condition, then what meets the conditions of others. These are the categories of the Sahih (sound) hadith. After that comes the Hasan (good) hadith, and it is also obligatory to act upon it. Every hadith that fulfills the conditions of acceptance must be acted upon and is suitable for argumentation. The benefit of knowing these degrees is for tarjih (prioritization) in case of contradiction or disagreement. The Hasan hadith is like the Sahih in terms of its evidential strength, but it is of a lesser degree if tarjih is applied.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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