التعريف

The grades given to narrators with regard to unblemished character and accuracy of reporting. Al-Sakhāwī defines six grades, the top of which is that of people who are described as ‘the most reliable of people’, or similar phrases. Next is the one who earns phrases like ‘so-and-so is not to be asked about’. Then come narrators who are described as ‘reliable, solid’ and the like. The fourth grade is that of narrators who are given descriptions like ‘reliable’, then comes those who earn phrases like ‘not bad’, and last comes those who are described as ‘he appears truthful’ and in similar phrases.