The Text of al-Bayqūnī’s Poem

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

1 – I begin with praise, invoking blessings upon Muhammad, the finest Prophet ever sent.

2 – Hadith comprises a number of categories, each of which has its own precise definition.

3 – The first is the “ṣaḥīḥ” (sound): a report whose chain is uninterrupted and that is neither anomalous nor blemished by a hidden defect.

4 – It is transmitted by an upright, exact narrator from one of similar reliability—someone whose accuracy in retention and conveyance is trusted.

5 – The “ḥasan” (fair) is a narration whose routes are known, but whose transmitters have not achieved the fame of those found in the ṣaḥīḥ.

6 – Anything that falls short of the ḥasan grade is “ḍaʿīf” (weak), and weak reports appear in many varieties.

7 – What is attributed to the Prophet is “marfūʿ” (traced back to him), whereas what is ascribed to a Successor is “maqṭūʿ.”

8 – The “musnad” is a tradition whose chain remains continuous from the narrator all the way to the Chosen Prophet, without a break.

9 – When every narrator explicitly hears from his source and the chain reaches the Prophet, it is called “muttaṣil” (connected).

10 – A “musalsal” is a report passed down with a recurring feature, such as the statement, “By Allah, the youth informed me….”

11 – Examples include: “He related it to me while standing,” or, “After narrating to me he smiled.”

12 – The “ʿazīz” is narrated by two or three transmitters, whereas the “mashhūr” is reported by more than three.

13 – “Muʿanʿan” is like the phrase “from Saʿīd, from Karam,” and “mubham” refers to any report in which a narrator is left unnamed.

14 – A chain with few transmitters is “ʿāli” (elevated); its opposite, having many, is “nazil” (low).

15 – Whatever you attribute to the Companions—whether statement or deed—is “mawqūf.” Fix this firmly in mind.

16 – If the Companion is omitted, the report is “mursal,” and a narration conveyed by only one transmitter is “gharīb” (singular).

17 – Any chain that is disconnected at any point is “munqaṭiʿ” (broken).

18 – The “muʿḍal” drops two or more consecutive narrators, and “mudallas” comes in two forms:

19 – The first omits one’s own shaykh and reports from his teacher with wording such as “from” (ʿan).

20 – The second leaves the shaykh in place but describes him with characteristics by which he is not recognized.

21 – When a trustworthy narrator contradicts the majority, the report is “shādh,” and alongside it is “maqlūb,” which appears in two shapes:

22 – One is substituting one narrator for another, and the other is reversing a chain so that it corresponds to a different text.