for it; and this description applies to a solitary report transmitted by a reliable and sound narrator.

A third definition of the shādh

Some scholars, however, took no account of either the narrator’s reliability or the element of contradiction.

Another definition of the munkar

Similarly, they did not confine the term munkar to the previously cited case, but used it for any report related by a narrator who is tainted by open sin, excessive heedlessness, or habitual error. These are merely matters of terminology, over which there is no need for dispute.

The muʿallal

The muʿallal—with the lām pronounced with a fatḥa—denotes a chain of transmission that contains hidden, obscure defects that undermine its authenticity. Such flaws are detected only by the sharp-witted masters of this science: a broken link in what appears to be a connected isnād, a narration that is actually halted at a Companion though it seems to reach the Prophet, and the like. At times the critic’s wording may fall short of furnishing conclusive proof for his claim, much like a money-changer who pronounces on the genuineness of a dinar or dirham without detailing his criteria.