Before you share a hadith, check where it comes from and how it is graded. What sahih, hasan, da'if and mawdu' mean, where to look, and sayings that are not authentic.
Start with the source
A hadith quoted without a source is not yet evidence. Ask three things: which collection records it, under which number, and which Companion narrated it. The best-known collections are Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim; the Sunan of Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah; the Muwatta of Imam Malik; and the Musnad of Imam Ahmad.
What the grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): its narrators are upright and precise, its chain is connected, and it has no hidden defect and is not anomalous. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): it meets the same conditions, but a narrator's precision is a little lower. It is also acted upon.
- Da'if (weak): it lacks one of those conditions. It is not a basis for a ruling.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): a lie attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It is not a hadith at all, and is mentioned only to warn against it.
Agreed upon
A narration recorded by both al-Bukhari and Muslim is called muttafaq 'alayh, "agreed upon". It stands at the highest level of authenticity.
Where to look
- sunnah.com: the major collections in Arabic and English, with numbers and, for many narrations, their grading.
- dorar.net: in Arabic, with the verdicts of the hadith scholars on a narration's wording.
- Rafiq AI: give it the wording you have, and it searches the collections and the scholars' gradings, and shows you the source.
Check the wording, not only the number
The same narration can carry different numbers in different editions, and Sahih Muslim's numbering varies most. A number that does not match the wording you were given is a sign to look again.
Sayings often shared that are not authentic
- "Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China." Most hadith scholars judged it weak through all of its chains. Ibn Hibban called it false, and Ibn al-Jawzi listed it among the fabrications.
- "Whoever knows himself knows his Lord." Not a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. Al-Albani listed it among the narrations that have no basis.
- "The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr." Shaykh Ibn Baz said it has no authenticity and appears to be fabricated.
When a saying is not a hadith
Many beautiful sayings belong to the Companions, the early scholars or the poets. They are worth quoting, as their words, not as the Prophet's ﷺ.
