Mudtarib

Mudtarib (lit. "shaky") is an Islamic term used in the Hadith evaluation process.

Definition

According to Ibn Kathir, if reporters disagree about a particular shaikh, or about some other points in the isnad or the text, in such a way that none of the opinions can be preferred over the others, and thus there is uncertainty about the isnad or text, such a hadith is called mudtarib [ [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/scienceofhadith/asb6.html According To A Hidden Defect Found In The Isnad Or Text Of A Hadith ] ]

A example is the following hadith attributed to Abu Bakr::"O Messenger of Allah! I see you getting gray-headed?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "What made me gray-headed are Surat Hud and its sister surahs."

The Sunni scholar Ad-Daraqutni commented::"This is an example of a mudtarib hadith. It is reported through Abu Ishaq, but as many as ten different opinions are held about this isnad. Some report it as mursal, others as muttasil (a hadith with uninterrupted chain of narrators); some take it as musnad of Abu Bakr, others as musnad of Sa'd or `A'ishah. Since all these reports are comparable in weight, it is difficult to prefer one above another. Hence, the hadith is termed as mudtarib. (Ibn Kathir 72) [ [http://www.islamonline.net/English/HadithAndItsSciences/HadithMethodology/2006/02/01.shtml Islam Online - Hadith & Its Sciences ] ]

References