Just as there is evidence by which a hadith is known to be true—and this may be established with certainty—there is also evidence by which it is known to be false, and its falsehood established with certainty. For example, we know with certainty that reports transmitted by fabricators among the people of innovation and those who exaggerate merits are false, such as the hadith about the day of ‘Āshūrā’ and similar reports claiming that whoever prays two units of prayer will receive a reward equal to that of so many prophets.

Quranic commentaries contain a substantial number of these fabricated reports. One example is the hadith transmitted by al-Tha‘labī, al-Wāhidī, and al-Zamakhsharī concerning the merits of the Quran’s surahs, one surah at a time. Scholars agree that it is fabricated. Al-Tha‘labī himself possessed goodness and religious devotion, but he was an indiscriminate collector, transmitting whatever he found in books of Quranic commentary, whether authentic, weak, or fabricated. His companion al-Wāhidī was more knowledgeable than him in Arabic, but further from soundness and from following the early generations. Al-Baghawī’s commentary is an abridgment of al-Tha‘labī’s, but he kept his commentary free of fabricated hadiths and innovated opinions.

Fabricated reports abound in books of Quranic commentary. Examples include the many hadiths explicitly advocating reciting the basmalah (“In the name of Allah”) aloud, and the lengthy hadith about ‘Alī giving his ring in charity while praying, which scholars agree is fabricated. Other examples include the report interpreting His words,

“And for every people there is a guide,”

as referring to ‘Alī, and His words,

“And that a mindful ear might retain it,”

as meaning, “Your ear, O ‘Alī.”