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What is the ruling on relating a Prophetic Hadith in meaning, and is the wording attributed to the speaker, and does the same ruling apply to a Hadith Qudsi?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible to narrate a Hadith according to its meaning, given certain conditions. When asked about its source, respond that it is the Prophet's (peace be upon him) words, expressed in your own terms, or that the wording is yours while the meaning is from the Messenger of Allah. As for Hadith Qudsi, the preponderant opinion is that its meaning is from Allah, and its wording is from the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is evidenced by the fact that the rulings of the Qur'an do not apply to it. Just as the prophets speak in the language of their people in the Holy Qur'an, Allah conveys their words according to their meaning.

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

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