Were Hadiths Narrated Verbatim or Were They Paraphrased?

Answered by Ustadh Fariduddin Dingle

Question

Were hadiths narrated verbatim, or were they paraphrased?

Answer

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your important question.

Some Hadiths are clearly narrated verbatim. We know that because we can compare the different narrations of the same Hadith and find them all with the same meaning.

However, a lot of the time, we see that the narrators paraphrase. In the majority of cases, this does not pose any problems. But sometimes, there are clear differences that occur due to this process of paraphrasing. For this reason, it is very important to find all the different versions of a Hadith before we interpret it.

Please see:

Athar Al-Hadith Al-Sharif: The Influence Of The Noble Hadith Upon The Differences Of Opinion Amongst The Jurist Imams, Shaykh Muhammad Awwamah

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid  

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years, he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.