Notes on Nukhbat Al-Fikar by Ibn Hajar Al-

Asqalani

Taught by Sheikh Atabek Shukurov (may Allah

protect and preserve him)

A hadith is any report narrated about the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) or it is
something that he said, did or did not reject –when done in front of him. Or it can be defined as
anything about the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). This is what the term
hadith means.

There are four types of report:

1. Mass transmitted/Mutawatir is a report from a larger number of narrators

2. Well known/Mashur or Mustafid is a report that has more than two chains

3. ‘Aziz/Rare is a report that has only two narrations

4. Gharib/Strange is a report that has one chain

All of the above are solitary reports except the first

The Mass transmitted report/Mutawatir is:

1. Narrated by a large number of people

2. No certain number but it has to be a number that logically cannot be made up.

3. The large number is in every level of narration

4. At the end of every chain there should be someone who saw or heard him doing something;
silence does not count.
Mutawatir can be Lafidi/verbal or manawi/Meaning. Lafidi is one text that has been reported as
above and Manawi/Meaning is a text that contains the same meaning but is not the same text.

The smallest number of narrators obliterates the larger number. So if a hadith has 10 narrators in
three levels and in one of the levels it has one then one overtakes ten; this is solitary report.

For a hadith to be sahih/authentic it has to have at least two chains

The narrators are not scrutinized when the hadith is mutawatir but the other three are scrutinized.

Conditions for a sahih/authentic hadith

1. Upright

A) Righteous: free from major sins and minor sins which will lower him, no innovation causing
disbelief and no propagation of innovation causing disbelief.

B) Muruwa – disposition he should not do something that will break the accepted custom of his area
not another area.

2. Total accuracy – he should’ve memorised the text or recorded it until delivered – if he forgets
before delivering then he becomes weak

3. Uninterrupted chain – received from its deliver – biographies have to be checked

4. Not detective – in the chain or in its text which lessens the hadith

5. Not anomalous – it does not oppose a bigger group

Hassan/Sound report

Is a report with a degree less than sahih/authentic.

It could be lower in grade because of someone with a strong memory who made a rare error.

A sound authentic report can be from another narrator or from more than one narrator.

Three sound reports are raised to the level of authentic because of another/Hassan li-gharihi.

Additions from trustworthy sources are accepted from the authentic and sound.

Rejected hadiths/Weak

This can either be a fault with the chain or the narrator.

Causes of weakness

1. Lair about hadith – fabricated

2. accused of lying – Weak

3. Many mistakes

4. Heedlessness but not on purpose

5. Sinful – either major sin once or continuous minor sins

6. Memorised wrong hadith

7. Contradicting stronger hadith

8. Unknown – completely unknown or two narrators know him

9. Innovation – one that causes disbelief and one does not

The chain

The chain that reaches the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is marfu’/
raised.

Reaches the companions Mawquf/suspended

Reaches others maqtu’/ severed.

How it was transmitted

There are different meanings to each word that was used when the hadith is transmitted like Qal,
samitu etc. Please see original work.

Names of transmitters

Ones that have been transmitted, whether are pronounced different to how they are written etc.

Final remarks

The level of the narrator, birth, death, countries, trustworthiness, discretion and being unknown or
otherwise.

This is merely a guide to the original text and not meant to replace the original text. This was
compiled from notes made from the classes of Sheikh Atabek Shukurov (may Allah protect and
preserve him). These classes were delivered in 2009 in Rochdale. Please see the original text for
further details of what we have not added.

All praise belongs to Allah the sustainer of the universe and may endless blessings and peace be
upon his Prophet Muhammad.