sometimes intends to narrate to that individual alone, or to a particular group of which he is a member; sometimes he intends to narrate generally to anyone who hears him, and that individual is among the listeners; and sometimes he intends to narrate to someone else, but that individual hears him. In all these cases, if the listener says, “I heard so-and-so say,” he has spoken accurately. If he says, “He narrated to us” or “He narrated to me”—and the narrator intended to address him, whether specifically or as part of a general audience—he has likewise spoken accurately. This is comparable to a witness saying, concerning a judgment, acknowledgment, or testimony that he was called upon to witness, “He called upon me to bear witness” or “He called upon us to bear witness.”

If, however, the narrator intended to address someone else and he overheard him, this is comparable to someone being entrusted with testimony while another person hears it. The latter’s testimony is valid, but his use of “He called upon me to bear witness” or “He narrated to us” is questionable. Rather, it would be appropriate for him to say, “He narrated while I was listening.”

If the speaker was not narrating to anyone, but the listener merely heard him speaking about the hadith, this resembles bearing testimony without having been entrusted with it, or testifying to an acknowledgment without having been called upon to witness it. Testimony concerning a judgment, unlike testimony concerning the establishment of a fact, through hearing and the like, is valid by agreement without being formally entrusted with it. As for testimony concerning statements, such as testimonies and acknowledgments, there is disagreement about it, which is not for discussion here.

The rules governing narration are broader. Nevertheless, someone who intends to narrate to another is not like someone speaking to himself. A man may speak to himself about various matters and speak freely; once he knows that someone else is receiving his words for transmission, he becomes more careful. For this reason, they did not readily transmit hadiths exchanged in informal scholarly discussions.