In consequence of the unreliable character of the Traditions, the following canons have been framed for the reception or rejection (vide Nuk͟hbatu ʾl-Faqr, by Shaik͟h Shihābu ʾd-Dīn Aḥmad, ed. by Captain N. Lees):—
I. With reference to the character of those who have handed down the tradition:—
(1) Ḥadīs̤u ʾṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ, a genuine tradition, is one which has been handed down by truly pious persons who have been distinguished for their integrity.
(2) Ḥadīs̤u ʾl-Ḥasan, a mediocre tradition, is one the narrators of which do not approach in moral excellence to those of the Ṣaḥīḥ class.
(3) Ḥadīs̤u ʾẓ-Ẓaʿīf, 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 Ḥadīs̤:—
(1) Ḥadīs̤u ʾl-Marfūʿ, an exalted tradition is a saying, or an act, related or performed by the Prophet himself and handed down in a tradition.
(2) Ḥadīs̤u ʾl-Mauqūf, a restricted tradition, is a saying or an act related or performed by one of the aṣḥāb, or Companions of the Prophet.
(3) Ḥadīs̤u ʾl-Maqt̤ūʿ, an intersected tradition, is a saying or an act related or performed by one of the Tābiʿūn, or those who conversed with the Companions of the Prophet.