How do I know if a hadith is authentic?
The hadith scholars built a science around this question. Every hadith is graded — ṣaḥīḥ (sound), ḥasan (good), ḍaʿīf (weak), mawḍūʿ (fabricated) — based on specific criteria applied to its chain and text.
10 passages from 8 books in the library
The hadith scholars built an entire science of grading: every report is classed as ṣaḥīḥ (sound), ḥasan (good), ḍaʿīf (weak), or mawḍūʿ (fabricated). Across the cited works, al-Ghazali consistently anchors reports by naming where they sit — "the authentic hadith in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari" — and marks others as "Hasan Sahih, good and authentic." These labels signal the strength of a report's chain and text. Ibn Battuta even records visiting in Bukhara the grave of al-Bukhari, "author of the Sahih collection, the Sheikh of Muslims."
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 8 books by Imam al-Ghazali, Ibn Kathir, and Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"the authentic hadith in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari by Abu Hurairah states to avoid"
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"Hasan Sahih, good and authentic, and has been previously mentioned in Self-Discipline."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"the hadith of Zayd ibn Khalid. In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from the hadith of Abu Juham,"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
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"offspring forgot. Adam made a mistake, and thus his offspring made mistakes. This is a Hasan Sahih"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"However, in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, in the narration of Jabir, the Prophet said,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"him, said to Hasan, You resemble my disposition and character. The Prophet also said, Hasan"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"Al-Hasan asked, What prevents you from coming to this man called Al-Hasan and sitting with"
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"Al-Hasan said to him, You, O servant of Allah, are more knowledgeable to me than Al-Hasan,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"A man from Syria who was sitting with Hasan then went to al-Hajaj and reported Hasan's"
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta →
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"In Bukhara, I visited the grave of the noble scholar Abu Abdullah al-Bukhari, the author of the Sahih collection, The Sheikh of Muslims. May God be pleased with him."
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