related to prayer and other matters. In this respect, it is called a single hadith. A hadith may also be lengthy, and some narrators may divide it into several hadiths, as al-Bukhārī did with Abū Bakr’s letter concerning zakat. This is permissible provided that it does not alter the meaning.

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As for the questioner’s words, “If a hadith is authentic, does that mean it is true?” the answer is that authentic hadiths are of several types, and two things may be meant by their being true.

Some authentic hadiths are mass-transmitted in their wording, such as his saying:

“Whoever deliberately tells a lie about me, let him take his seat in the Fire.”

Others are mass-transmitted in meaning, such as the hadiths concerning intercession, the vision of Allah, the Cistern, water flowing from between his fingers, and other matters. Such reports yield certain knowledge, and their truth is affirmed with certainty, because they are mass-transmitted either in wording or in meaning.

Among authentic hadiths are also those that the Muslims have accepted and acted upon, such as the hadith concerning the prescribed compensation for a fetus, the hadiths concerning pre-emption, those concerning the prostrations for forgetfulness, and similar reports. These yield certain knowledge, and their truth is affirmed with certainty, because the Muslim community has accepted them as true and acted in accordance with them. The Muslim community does not agree upon misguidance. Were such a report actually false, the community would have agreed upon believing a falsehood and acting