Every day we come across "hadith" quotes flying around on social media. Some are authentic, some are weak, and some are not hadith at all. How do you tell them apart? Two things help: knowing the source and understanding the grade.
The seven collections most often cited
Scholars gathered hadith into collections compiled with great care. The most famous are the Kutub as-Sittah (the six primary books):
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim — known together as the Sahihain, the two books with the strictest standard of authenticity.
- Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa'i, and Sunan Ibn Majah — these contain a range of hadith, from the authentic to those judged weak, usually with a note on their grading.
Often a seventh is added: the Muwatta of Imam Malik, one of the earliest hadith collections. Together, these seven remain the ummah's primary references to this day.
One important note: unlike the Sahihain, the Sunan collections do not guarantee that everything in them is authentic. That is why a per-hadith grading matters.
What sahih, hasan, and daif mean
A hadith's "grade" is the assessment that hadith specialists give to the quality of its sanad (the chain of narrators) and its matn (the text). Put simply:
- Sahih — meets the highest requirements: the chain is unbroken, the narrators are upright with strong memories, and there is no hidden defect.
- Hasan — a step below sahih, usually because one narrator's memory is not as strong as that of a sahih narration's narrators. It is still counted as acceptable.
- Daif (weak) — it fails to meet one of the requirements above, for example a weak narrator or a broken chain.
There are other terms too, such as maudu (fabricated), but the three above are the ones you will meet most often.
Who assigns the grade?
This part is often overlooked: grading is the work of scholars who specialise in hadith, not something we conclude on our own from reading the text. Names such as Imam al-Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi, and on down to contemporary scholars have assessed millions of narrations with a careful method.
So the right posture is to rely on their assessments — and to cite the source. A "sahih" label with no reference is no different from a claim with no evidence.
Before you share a hadith
- Check the source — which book, which number.
- Check the grade — and who assigned it.
- For acting on a hadith, give priority to authentic ones; and for serious matters, refer to scholars and to trusted commentary (syarah) works. This piece is an introductory guide, not a substitute for their guidance.
One authentic hadith a day
Building a good habit does not have to begin with many things at once — a single authentic hadith to reflect on each day is enough. Take it from a source that already shows you its grade and who issued it, and let that small, steady practice do the rest.