Ḥadīth Citation Terminology
The short formulas that follow a ḥadīth in a book — مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ, رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ فِي ... — tell you who narrated it, where, and how authoritative it is. Reading them is itself a small grammar exercise.
مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ — Agreed Upon
The Highest Certificate
مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ means agreed upon — by both Imāms, al-Bukhārī and Muslim. Any ḥadīth in either Ṣaḥīḥ is known to be ṣaḥīḥ; a ḥadīth that both of them include is a level beyond — the highest authenticity certificate we have.
رَوَاهُ ... فِي ...
رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ فِي الجِهَادِ، وَمُسْلِمٌ فِي الإِمَارَةِ
| Word | Role / Meaning |
|---|---|
| رَوَى / يَرْوِي | To narrate |
| هُ | مَفْعُول بِه — refers to the ḥadīth |
| البُخَارِيُّ | فَاعِل |
| فِي الجِهَادِ | In كِتَاب الجِهَاد — the chapter-book of his collection |
| وَمُسْلِمٌ فِي الإِمَارَةِ | And Muslim, in كِتَاب الإِمَارَة (leadership) |
The chapter reference is usually followed by the ḥadīth numbers.
Example
لَغَدْوَةٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوْ رَوْحَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا — مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ
"A forenoon or an afternoon in the path of Allah is better than the world and whatever is in it."
- غَدْوَة — the forenoon, before زَوَال; related: غَدَاء (modern: lunch; classical: breakfast)
- رَوْحَة — late afternoon / evening
- لَ — لَام الاِبتِدَاء. See Lām al-Muzaḥlaqah.
Session References
- Surah Yusuf Session 10: مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ and رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ فِي الجِهَادِ explained on the ḥadīth of غَدْوَة / رَوْحَة, cited in the book as an example of lām al-ibtidāʾ.