Is it obligatory to memorize the chains of transmission (asanid) in the order of the hadiths, or is it sufficient to memorize the names of the narrators, and what is the benefit of memorizing the chains of transmission as they are?

Knowledge of the chains of narration (asanid) is essential for a specialist in the science of hadith (definition) to distinguish the authentic from the weak. It is not required of everyone, but it is fundamental for discerning the authenticity and continuity of a hadith. The one who memorizes the chains of narration acquires a faculty that enables him to know the conditions of the narrators and their hierarchical ranks, and to distinguish connected chains from broken ones, thereby avoiding the errors that those who are ignorant of this fall into. Memorizing the chains of narration in their original wordings is better than memorizing the names of the narrators individually. As for the general public, it suffices for them to memorize the texts (mutun) and to gain understanding of them.