The Use of nahwuhu

If the corroborating narration concurs with the original in meaning alone, without matching its precise wording, the critics say nahwuhu ("something to that effect").

Condition for Corroboration

For a narration to count as a mutābiʿ (corroborating narration), both reports must ultimately be traced back to the same Companion.

The Shāhid (Supporting Narration)

If the reports go back to two different Companions, it is called a shāhid. Thus one may say, "It has a shāhid from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah," and, in the plural, "It has shawāhid." One may also state, "So-and-so's hadith serves as a witness for it."

Another Definition of the mutābiʿ and the shāhid

Some scholars restrict the term mutābaʿa to agreement in wording and reserve shāhid for agreement in meaning, whether the reports stem from one Companion or from two.

A Third Definition

Still others use shāhid and mutābiʿ as synonyms, so the terminology varies among scholars.

Iʿtibār (Comparative Analysis)

Systematically tracking the various routes and chains of a hadith in order to uncover its mutābiʿāt and shawāhid is called iʿtibār.