Categories of Hadith

Different categories of hadith (sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad) have been used by various scholars. Experts in hadith studies generally use two terms - taqrīr for tacit approvals, and khabar for sayings and acts ascribed to Muhammad.

The term taqrīr implies that, in the presence of Muhammad a believer did something, which the Prophet noticed but did not disapprove or condemn. Thus, the act done by a believer acquired tacit approval from Muhammad. It is commonly acknowledged that a khabar can be true or false. The scholars of the science of hadith criticism hold that a khabar and, therefore, a hadith can be a true report or a concoction. It is on the basis of this premise that the Muslim scholars hold that a hadith offers a ẓannī (inconclusive/probably true) evidence. It is as though a hadith may have many possibilities on the plane of reliability. This classification refers to non-absolute, subjective evaluations that express the conclusions reached by the hadith writer as a result of his own studies and evaluations. What one hadith writer finds reliable, another may regard it as weak or even fabricated.