The Remaining Conditions for a Ṣaḥīḥ (sound) ḥadith

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—said:
4 – It is transmitted by an upright, precise narrator from one like him, whose precision and transmission are relied upon.

His words, “It is transmitted by an upright narrator,” mean that the transmitter must be upright; this is the fourth condition for a ḥadith to be deemed sound.

Linguistically, the Arabic term ʿadl (upright) denotes straightness. When a road is even and without bends, it is said, “This road is ʿadl,” that is, straight; a straight staff is likewise called an ʿadlah. That is the basic meaning.

Among the scholars, however, it is a quality in a person that entails rectitude in both religion and honorable conduct (muruʾah). A man’s consistency in his religion and his decorum is therefore termed uprightness (ʿadālah).

Consequently, a sinner (fāsiq) is not upright, for he is not straight in his religion. If we were to see a man who severs family ties, he would not be upright—even were he the most accurate of transmitters—because his religious practice is deficient. The same applies to someone who neglects the congregational prayer; no matter how truthful he may be, he is not upright, and whatever he narrates is not accepted from him.

The proof is Allah’s statement: “O you who believe, if a wicked person comes to you with a report, verify it, lest you harm people in ignorance.” [Al-Ḥujurāt 6]. Because Allah commanded verification when the reporter is a sinner, it is clear that such a report is not accepted outright; it is neither accepted nor rejected until it is investigated.

Accordingly, we stipulate for ḥadith transmission that the narrator be upright so that his report may be accepted; the sinner’s report is not accepted. As for the upright narrator, his report is accepted, as evidenced by Allah’s words: “And call to witness two upright men…"