The word · Hadith
المَتْن
Matn
The actual wording of a hadith, the part that comes after the chain of narrators.
Also written · Matan · Matin · Mutun · Matoon · Text of the hadith · Hadith text · Matn hadeeth · Metin
The meaning
What Matn means in Islam
The word means the firm surface of the ground, or the back of something. Scholars weigh the matn as well as the chain. A text that contradicts the Qur'an, or a plain fact, or promises an enormous reward for a tiny act, is treated with suspicion even when the chain looks tidy.
Evidence · Editorial · Our own summary, drawn from the sources named
Read beside it
Words that sit beside it
- IsnadThe chain of narrators who carried a hadith, listed name by name back to its source.الإِسْنَاد
- SanadThe chain itself, the line of narrators supporting a text, used almost interchangeably with isnad.السَّنَد
- ShadhdhAn acceptable narrator contradicts someone stronger, so his version is set aside as odd.الشَّاذّ
- IllahA hidden flaw in a hadith that looks sound on the surface, found only by expert comparison.العِلَّة
More from Hadith
- AdalahThe uprightness of a narrator: sane, adult, Muslim, not openly sinful, not known for shameful habits.العَدَالَة
- GharibA hadith narrated by only one person at some point in its chain.الغَرِيب
- Jami'A hadith book that covers every subject, not only law: belief, manners, tafsir, history and more.الجَامِع
- 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