I. With reference to the character of those who have handed down the tradition[1]:—
(1) Hadís-i-Sahíh, a genuine tradition, is one which has been handed down by truly pious persons who have been distinguished for their integrity.
(2) Hadís-i-Hasan, a mediocre tradition, is one the narrators of which do not approach in moral excellence to those of the Sahíh class.
(3) Hadís-i-Zʾaíf, a weak tradition, is one whose narrators are of questionable authority.
The disputed claims of narrators to these three classes have proved a fruitful source of learned discussion, and very numerous are the works written upon the subject.
II. With reference to the original relators of the Hadís:—
(1) Hadís-i-Marfuʾ, an exalted tradition, is a saying, or an act, related or performed by
- ↑ In the first edition of these Notes the canons for the reception and rejection of traditions were taken from Sayyad Ahmad Khan's "Essay on Traditions," but in the present edition they have been arranged according to the Arabic treatise, entitled Nukhbat-al-Faqr by Shekh Shaháb-ud-dín Ahmad, edited by Capt. W. Nassau Lees, LL.D. (Calcutta, 1862.)
