Among the reports that have become popular among them is the saying, “The finest names are those that include Ḥamd or ʿAbd.” 1 The common folk treat this as an authentic ḥadith, yet it has no basis and is not soundly traced back to the Prophet ﷺ. What the Prophet actually said was, “The dearest names to Allah are ʿAbd Allāh and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.” 2
A similar case is the saying, “Love of one’s homeland is part of faith,” 3 which is likewise widespread among laypeople as though it were a sound ḥadith, while in fact it is a fabricated lie. Its meaning is also unsound, for love of homeland is nothing more than ʿaṣabiyyah (partisan bias).
The same applies to the ḥadith, “The day you fast is the day you sacrifice,” 4 which is well known among the public as authentic, yet it too has no foundation.
Another example is the saying, “The fourth of Rajab—the first of Ramadan—on that day you will slaughter.” This is an ornate fabrication with no basis whatsoever. It alleges that the fourth of Rajab is simultaneously the first of Ramadan and the tenth of Dhū al-Ḥijjah—an assertion that is plainly false.
The second category is what is famous among the scholars. Some of them consider such reports admissible as evidence even when no chain of transmission is available, arguing that their renown among people of knowledge, and the scholars’ acceptance and application of them, point to an underlying source.
Among these is the ḥadith, “No retaliation is exacted from a parent for (killing) the child,” 5 meaning that a parent is not to be put to death in retribution for the child.