The word · Hadith
المُتَوَاتِر
Mutawatir
A report carried at every stage by so many people that they could not all have agreed on a lie.
Also written · Mutawaatir · Mutewatir · Mutawatur · Mutawaatirah · Tawatur · Tawaatur · Mass transmitted · Mutawatir hadith · Mutawatir lafzi · Mutawatir manawi
The meaning
What Mutawatir means in Islam
There is no fixed minimum number; what matters is that the crowd is wide enough and independent enough to rule out collusion. Two kinds are described: mutawatir in wording, where the same phrase comes through, and mutawatir in meaning, where many different reports converge on one point. The five daily prayers and the number of their units reach us this way, by continuous practice as much as by text, which is a stronger route than any single chain.
Evidence · Editorial · Our own summary, drawn from the sources named
Read beside it
Words that sit beside it
- AhadAny hadith that does not reach the level of mutawatir, however strong its single chain may be.الآحَاد
- MashhurA hadith carried by three or more narrators at each stage, well known but short of mutawatir.المَشْهُور
- HadithA report of what the Prophet Muhammad said, did, or quietly approved, passed down through named narrators.الحَدِيث
- SunnahThe Prophet's way in belief, worship and conduct, and the measure against which innovation is judged.السُّنَّة
More from Hadith
- AdalahThe uprightness of a narrator: sane, adult, Muslim, not openly sinful, not known for shameful habits.العَدَالَة
- Hadith QudsiA hadith in which the Prophet reports words from Allah that are not part of the Qur'an.الحَدِيثُ القُدْسِيّ
- 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
- SahihA hadith that meets all five conditions of authenticity, with nothing missing and no hidden flaw.الصَّحِيح