Chapter Three: on the shādh (irregular), the munkar (denounced), the muʿallal (hiddenly defective), and the procedure of iʿtibār (corroborative comparison)

Among the classifications of ḥadīth are the shādh, the munkar, and the muʿallal.

The shādh in language:

Linguistically, shādh denotes someone who stands apart from the group and departs from it.

The shādh in technical usage:

In the terminology of ḥadīth scholars it is any report that conflicts with what the trustworthy narrators have transmitted.

If the person who related it is not trustworthy, the report is rejected outright;

but if he is trustworthy, the variants are weighed, favouring the version that shows greater accuracy and retention, is supported by a larger number of transmitters, or prevails by some other recognised criterion of preference.

Al-maḥfūẓ (the preserved):

The preferred variant is termed maḥfūẓ (preserved) and the outweighed one is called shādh (irregular).