For a Hadith to be accepted as authentic(sahih), it must fulfill certain specific criteria. Foremost among these is the requirement that the transmitters(rawi), who pass the Hadith down to subsequent generations, be trustworthy. Requiring integrity and competence in those who transmit the traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) is both a religious and a scholarly necessity. The Qur’an highlights the crucial role of the transmitter in verifying the truth of a report by stating: “If a wicked/disobedient person (fasiq) brings you news, verify it!” [1]. Indeed, the trustworthiness and honesty of the transmitter serve as the primary guarantee of the report's accuracy. Likewise, Hadith scholars made it a prerequisite that anyone conveying information related to the Prophet must, above all, be trustworthy. How, then, was the trustworthiness of a transmitter determined?
To establish a transmitter’s trustworthiness, certain core qualifications were sought in them: the transmitter’s identity, moral-spiritual qualities, and scholarly competence. In Hadith methodology(usul al-ḥadith), the first two of these qualifications (identity and moral-spiritual qualities) are referred to as ‘adalah (probity/integrity), while the last one (scholarly competence)—which denotes a transmitter’s ability to preserve and convey the received Hadith without any alteration—is termed dabt (accuracy/retention). A transmitter possessing both of these foundational attributes is considered trustworthy, and their transmission (riwayah) is taken into account. These two terms, expressing the transmitter’s human/moral dimension on one hand and their scholarly dimension on the other, are indispensable components of Hadith studies in determining transmitter reliability.
A transmitter endowed with the quality of ‘adalah is called ‘adil (upright/just), and one possessing dabt is termed dabit (accurate/precise). At this juncture, the question may arise: What qualities must a transmitter possess to be deemed ‘adil? The essential conditions for a transmitter to be qualified as ‘adil are as follows: aql (sanity), bulugh(puberty/adulthood), Islam, taqwa(piety), and muru’ah(propriety). Let us briefly explain these attributes for a clearer understanding of the subject.
The transmitter is expected to be sane which means possessing the mental capacity to comprehend what is said correctly and respond appropriately. Therefore, the transmissions of individuals lacking sound mental faculties are not accepted. Bulugh(puberty) marks the age of legal accountability, and thus it is considered an essential requirement for a transmitter’s integrity. Since Hadith is one of the two primary sources of Islam, it is a critical condition for the transmitter to be a Muslim; hence, transmissions transmitted by non-Muslims are not accepted. The condition of taqwa(piety) signifies "refraining from major kaba’ir(sins) and sagha’ir(not persisting in minor ones)." This attribute specifically excludes liars, both in daily life and in Hadith transmission, and fasiqun(transgressors) who make a habit of defying religious commands and prohibitions from the realm of ‘adalah. In this context, it should also be noted that if a person is found to have lied in Hadith transmission even once, their transmissions are never accepted again. The final quality that grants a transmitter the status of ‘adil is muru’ah(chivalry/social dignity). According to this principle, the transmitter is expected to be a respectable individual who avoids behaviors deemed inappropriate or distasteful by society. Thus, any transmitter, either male or female and free or enslaved, who possesses these five attributes is acknowledged as morally upright and truthful, and is termed ‘adil.
From the perspective of Hadith science, the other core attribute that renders a transmitter reliable is dabt, which represents their scholarly competence. The academic capabilities that enable a transmitter to properly comprehend a Hadith they hear and transmit it to future generations without any alteration fall under the scope of dabt. Accordingly, if the transmitter has memorized the Hadith, they must preserve it accurately in their memory(dabt al-sadr); if transmitting from a book, they must preserve their manuscript thoroughly (dabt al-kitab). Another crucial aspect of dabt is that the transmitter knows the meanings and wording of the Hadith well, conveying them without causing any shift or distortion in meaning. In essence, all these components of dabt require mental acuity, vigilance, and precision. Consequently, a Hadith transmitter must not be negligent/heedless(ghaflah) and must be immune to external prompting or suggestion(talqin).
Adalah and dabt, outlined above with their essential elements, were sought conjointly in a Hadith transmitter; possessing only one was never deemed sufficient. On the contrary, both attributes that represent moral integrity and scholarly precision, became complementary principles and indispensable criteria in rijal (transmitter) critical evaluation. In this way, transmitters possessing scholarly competence alongside religious and moral qualifications were accepted as trustworthy. In Hadith terminology, a transmitter who combines both ‘adalah and dabt is termed thiqah (trustworthy/reliable), and numerous biographical works (kutub al-rijal) have been compiled analyzing transmitters of this caliber. On the other hand, works focusing on transmitters who lacked full adalah or dabt were also written, giving rise to an extensive literature dedicated to identifying those eligible and ineligible for transmission.
[1] Surah al-Hujurat, Verse 6: “O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.”
Note: This article constitutes a component of a broad-perspective study conducted by the Meridyen Association, for the benefit of Muslims, particularly in the context of hadith, sunnah and related subjects. The issues addressed were discussed in detail by a group of experts in their respective fields, and each article was written independently by the relevant author. The following researchers were consulted for this study: Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yücel, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Esra Şahyar, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Kızıl, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rahile Kızılkaya Yılmaz, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilek Tekin, and Dr. Betül Yılmazörnek.
Translated by Merve Tosun.
