Hadith Terminologies
Types of Rejected Hadith Due to Broken Chain of Narration
Mu‘allaq (Hanging Chain):
A Hadith whose initial part or the entire chain (Sanad) is deliberately omitted.
Another definition of Muallaq: A Muallaq narration is one in which the author does not mention some narrators from the beginning of the chain but starts the chain from the middle or end; in other words, narrators from the start of the chain are omitted.
Another definition of Muallaq: A Muallaq narration is one in which the author does not mention some narrators from the beginning of the chain but starts the chain from the middle or end; in other words, narrators from the start of the chain are omitted.
Mursal (Missing Companion):
A Hadith narrated by a Tabi‘i (Follower) directly from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) without mentioning the companion (Sahabi) as an intermediary.
Another definition of Mursal: A Mursal Hadith is one in which a Tabi‘i narrates directly from the Prophet without mentioning the companion as a link.
Another definition of Mursal: A Mursal Hadith is one in which a Tabi‘i narrates directly from the Prophet without mentioning the companion as a link.
Mu‘dal (Two or More Consecutive Missing Narrators):
A Hadith in which two or more narrators are omitted together from the middle of the chain.
Munqati‘ (Broken Chain):
A Hadith in which one or more narrators are omitted from different places in the middle of the chain.
Mudallis (Narrator Who Conceals Weakness):
A Hadith whose narrator for some reason hides the name (or identity) of his teacher or his teacher’s teacher but gives the impression to listeners that he did not do so. The chain is thus considered connected, although the meeting and hearing between narrators in the chain are established, the actual hearing of the narration is not proven.
Hidden Mursal (Mursal Khafi):
A Hadith whose narrator narrates from a contemporary whom he has not met or whose meeting is not established.
Ma‘lul or Mu‘allal (Defective Hadith):
A Hadith that appears “acceptable” on the surface but contains hidden defects or faults that make it “unacceptable.” Detecting these faults and defects is the work of experts and is not something everyone can do.
