The person presenting the hadith may also say, “He narrated it to you,” as a statement rather than a question, and the scholar replies, “Yes.” Some scholars of Medina and elsewhere prefer this method of presentation because the recipient has mastered the hadith, while the transmitter corrects him and sets it right for him. This view is reported from Mālik and others. Others prefer hearing the hadith directly, a position similar to that of Abū Hanīfah and al-Shāfiʿī. Some, such as the scholars of the Hijaz, permit both “he informed us” and “he narrated to us” when reporting a hadith received through presentation. Others, including various groups of scholars, use only “he informed us.” Two positions are reported from Ahmad.

Some say, “There is no linguistic difference; those who distinguish between them do so only by convention.” Thus, regarding testimony obtained by presenting a judgment, acknowledgment, or contract for confirmation, one says, “He made me a witness to such-and-such.”

It may also be said that khabar (information) originally concerns hidden matters. From this comes khibrah (expert knowledge) of things, meaning knowledge of their inner aspects. Thus one says, “So-and-so has expertise in such-and-such.” A khabīr (expert) in a matter is someone acquainted with its inner aspects. From this too comes khabīr in the sense of a farmer who brings what lies beneath the soil to the surface, and khabār, soft soil that is turned over. Mukhābarah (sharecropping) is also derived from this.

The transmitter’s reply, “Yes,” does not convey the statement in question through its outward wording alone. Rather, it conveys it through its underlying meaning: the word signifies agreement with the questioner or the person making the statement. If someone asks, “Did he narrate to you?” or “Have you given her in marriage?” and the reply is “Yes,” this amounts to saying, “He narrated to me” or “I have given her in marriage.” This meaning arises from the combination of the word “yes” and the question asked, just as demonstratives and pronouns identify the object indicated and the explicit antecedent