Mutawatir

Mutawatir is the highest level of Hadith authenticity. It refers to a report that has been narrated by such a large number of people at every stage of the chain that it is "impossible for them all to have agreed upon a lie." A Mutawatir Hadith yields "Certain Knowledge" (Yaqin), and denying it is equivalent to denying a verse of the Quran. Examples include the description of the five daily prayers and the text of the Quran itself, which has been transmitted Mutawatir from the time of the Prophet (PBUH). Mutawatir (mass-transmitted) is the strongest category of Hadith. It requires that a report be transmitted by a large number of narrators at every level of the chain, such that it is inconceivable that they would all agree on a lie. The number is not specified, but it must be sufficient to preclude collusion. Mutawatir Hadith produce certain knowledge. The scholar who knows of a mutawatir report is as certain of its authenticity as they are of seeing the sun. Denying a mutawatir Hadith is disbelief (kufr) because it denies something known necessarily of the religion. Examples of mutawatir Hadith include: the number of prayers (five daily), the fact that the Prophet had a pulpit (minbar), and the description of the Pool (Hawd) in Paradise. The Quran itself is mutawatir. Every verse was memorized by hundreds of companions and transmitted through thousands of chains. This is why the Quran's preservation is certain. Mutawatir is divided into: mutawatir in wording (lafzi) where the exact words are transmitted by many, and mutawatir in meaning (ma'nawi) where the meaning is transmitted by many, though the wording may vary. For example, the Hadith about raising hands in prayer is mutawatir in meaning, though the exact wording may differ. The benefit of mutawatir is certainty. The believer does not need to investigate the chain of a mutawatir Hadith; its authenticity is established by mass transmission. Mutawatir Hadith are the foundation of Islamic belief and practice. They provide certainty about the essentials of the faith. For believers, mutawatir Hadith are as reliable as the Quran. They accept them without doubt and base their faith on them. The existence of mutawatir narrations demonstrates Allah's preservation of the Sunnah, just as He preserved the Quran.