the Sunnah, consensus, or other grounds, according to the categories of those interpretations—and such cases are numerous—or by circumstantial evidence. In both categories, such evidence can be firmly established only by those versed in this discipline; others are ignorant of it.

The third category:

Reports that may be either true or false. These are divided into widely transmitted reports and others, with varying degrees of strength. A report transmitted by al-Siddīq and al-Fārūq does not carry the same weight as one transmitted by other, younger Companions or those whose companionship was brief.

Section:

An error in a report may arise from the narrator either deliberately or inadvertently. Narrators are therefore required to possess upright character, to guard against deliberate lying, and sound retention and alertness, to guard against inadvertent error.

Ease has several causes:

The first is being occupied with other pursuits rather than this discipline, so that one fails to master it accurately, as is the case with many ascetics and devoted worshippers.

The second is a lack of knowledge of this discipline.