𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 (15)

Why Do Ḥadīths Have Different Wordings? Summary of Al-Ameer As-San’āni's treatise [https://t.me/madrasatuna/5594] ⬇️ Know that differences in the wording of the Prophetic ḥadīths are undeniable and they may be categorised as follows: First case: Multiple Companions narrated the same REPEATED EVENT differently. ▪️Examples include variations in: -> the adhān (like repeating the takbīr التربيع, repeating the shahādah الترجيع, adding tathweeb الصلاة خير من النوم), -> the tashahhud, -> the prayer during fear. ✅ This type of difference is easy to understand. If a narration is authentic, and the wording differs, it reflects the variety in teaching ﷺ, giving flexibility to the people. All versions are valid, and people may follow whichever they choose. Second case: A SINGLE EVENT is narrated with DIFFERENT wording. ▪️Examples include: -> the number of ruku’ in the eclipse prayer, even though the Prophet ﷺ performed it only once, unlike the prayer during fear, which he performed multiple times in different ways. -> Another example is Hajj: some narrations say he performed it alone (mufrad), some say Tamattuʿ, and others say Qirān—even though it was a single Hajj. ✅ In such cases, it is necessary to examine the narrations and their chains carefully to determine what is correct or more likely. This is difficult except for those whom Allāh makes it easy. If a careful reader understands the meaning of the narrators, that is what is intended. If a preference appears different from theirs, it becomes an area for ijtihād (scholarly reasoning) for those guided by Allāh. 📌 If no preference is clear, then one concedes and says Allāh knows best. As for acting upon narrations that are authentic or have good chains but show no clear preference, it is permissible to follow any of the versions. Third case: ḥadīths of a SINGLE EVENT come with different wording, WITHOUT CONTRADICTION, but each contains details others do not. ▪️ For example, the story of the man who prayed incorrectly. The narrations differ in additional details about how the Prophet ﷺ taught him. Here, all narrations are acted upon. This is because some Companions may have remembered details that others did not. All were truthful, and it is natural that this occurs: some Companions were closer and heard more, others farther and heard less. Each reported what they heard truthfully. Forgetfulness also occurs, as in the example of ʿUmar and ʿAmmār regarding tayammum. ✅ So when a group of Companions narrates an event with differences in additions or omissions, it is for one of two reasons: 1. Either a narrator forgot part and reported part, or he only heard part. Their reports are accepted because they are truthful and just, as in the story of the man who prayed incorrectly—all narrations are valid because it was a single event. 2. Or it is narration by meaning, which was common among the Companions and later narrators. Narrating by meaning is allowed for those who understand the wording and meaning, and most narrators did this. ❗️ This is not due to misunderstanding the Prophet ﷺ. If they did not understand, they asked for clarification, which is common in ḥadīths. ❗️Allāh also protected the Prophet’s ḥadīths from being narrated by hypocrites who could not understand them, as He said: “And among them are those who listen to you, and then after leaving you, they say to those who have knowledge, ‘What did he say just now?’” Understanding this explains why scholars accept additional details from just and trustworthy narrators, as long as they do not contradict or oppose what other reliable narrators reported.