The Sunnah and how hadith are graded
Islamic Studies · Key Stage 3 · The School
Two sources, not one
The QURAN is, for Muslims, the revealed word of God. The SUNNAH is the recorded practice of the Prophet ﷺ — what he said, did and approved — preserved in reports called HADITH. They are treated as different in kind: the Quran's text is regarded as fixed and settled, while hadith vary in how well attested they are, which is why the checking discipline exists.
Chain and text
Each hadith has two parts: the ISNAD, the chain of people who passed it on, and the MATN, the text itself. Scholars examined the chain — did these people actually meet, were they reliable, was any link missing — and the text, for internal contradiction or conflict with the Quran. A weak chain weakens the report however appealing its content.
The grades
Reports are graded: SAHIH (sound), HASAN (good), DAIF (weak), and MAWDU (fabricated). The grades are conclusions from evidence, and scholars sometimes graded the same report differently — a real disagreement rather than an error. Quoting a hadith responsibly means knowing its grade and its source, not just repeating an appealing sentence.
You are sent a saying attributed to the Prophet ﷺ with no source. Check three things. WHERE is it recorded — a named collection, or nowhere? WHAT GRADE did the scholars give it: sahih, hasan, daʿif or mawduʿ (fabricated)? WHO says so, and do others agree? Many of the most-shared quotations turn out to be weak or fabricated. Passing one on without the grading is how it keeps circulating.