The word · Hadith
الحُكْم
Hukm
The verdict placed on a hadith, such as sahih, hasan, weak or fabricated.
Also written · Hukum · Hokm · Hukam · Hukm al-hadith · Hukum hadis · Grading · Ruling on a hadith · Hukm e hadith · Grade of hadith
The meaning
What Hukm means in Islam
A hukm is the end of a piece of work, not the beginning: it summarises the state of every narrator and every link in the chain. Two careful scholars can reach different verdicts on the same report, and that is normal rather than scandalous. In fiqh the same word means a legal ruling, which is a different subject.
Evidence · Editorial · Our own summary, drawn from the sources named
Read beside it
Words that sit beside it
- TakhrijTracing a hadith to the books that recorded it, gathering its chains, and then grading it.التَّخْرِيج
- SahihA hadith that meets all five conditions of authenticity, with nothing missing and no hidden flaw.الصَّحِيح
- Da'ifA hadith that fails one of the conditions of soundness, through a broken chain or a faulty narrator.الضَّعِيف
- HasanA hadith meeting every condition of sahih except that one narrator's accuracy falls slightly short.الحَسَن
More from Hadith
- AdalahThe uprightness of a narrator: sane, adult, Muslim, not openly sinful, not known for shameful habits.العَدَالَة
- HadithA report of what the Prophet Muhammad said, did, or quietly approved, passed down through named narrators.الحَدِيث
- Jarh wa Ta'dilThe discipline of criticising or vouching for narrators, so that a chain can be judged fairly.الجَرْحُ وَالتَّعْدِيل
- Mawdu'A fabricated report, invented and then attached to the Prophet; not really a hadith at all.المَوْضُوع
- MusannafA collection arranged by legal topic that includes Companion and follower statements alongside hadith.المُصَنَّف
- Riyad al-SalihinAl-Nawawi's topical collection on character and worship, the hadith book most widely read by ordinary Muslims.رِيَاضُ الصَّالِحِين