Then the author—may Allah have mercy on him—said:

12 – A singular report conveyed by two, or even by three;
a well-known report conveyed by more than three.

In this couplet the author introduces two further categories of hadith: the ʿazīz and the mashhūr, thereby completing the ninth and tenth types enumerated in the poem.

Linguistically, ʿazīz is derived from ʿazza, which denotes strength. The same root can also imply predominance, invincibility, and rarity, but in our context the primary meaning is “strength.”

Technically, an ʿazīz report is one that is transmitted by two narrators from two narrators from two narrators, all the way down the chain until it reaches its end.

The author does not stipulate that the report be marfūʿ (traced directly back to the Prophet), so the term here includes marfūʿ, mawqūf (halted at a Companion), and maqṭūʿ (halted at a Successor). He simply said “narrated by two,” without adding “marfūʿ,” which shows that being marfūʿ is not a condition for a report to be classified as ʿazīz.

It is called ʿazīz because the second narrator lends it added strength. The more reliable transmitters there are, the stronger the report becomes. If one trustworthy person informs you of something, then a second trustworthy person confirms it, and then a third and a fourth do the same, the information gains added credibility with every new witness.

Concerning the phrase “or three,” the particle “or” here denotes variety, not dissent. This is evident from his later statement, “A mashhūr report is transmitted by more than three.” Accordingly, in the author’s view, a report narrated by two from two to the end of the chain, or by three from three to the end, is deemed ʿazīz, because the two additional parallel chains only increase its strength.