Sahih

A hadith that meets all five conditions of authenticity, with nothing missing and no hidden flaw.

Also written · Saheeh · Sahi · Sahee · Sohih · Sahiih · Sahih hadith · Saheeh hadeeth · Authentic hadith · Sahih li-dhatihi · Sohih hadis

The meaning

What Sahih means in Islam

The five conditions are an unbroken chain, every narrator upright, every narrator accurate, no contradiction of stronger narrators, and no hidden defect. Sahih is a verdict about how safely the report reached us, not a claim that its wording is revealed like the Qur'an. A lower grade, sahih li-ghayrihi, is lifted to this level by supporting chains.

Evidence · Editorial · Our own summary, drawn from the sources named

Read beside it

Rooms that name it

He spent sixteen years deciding what to leave outA Light · Al-Bukhari · 810-870 CE
Surah Al-An'amSurah 6 · The Cattle
Ramadan was when the text was checked against its sourceA Light · Ibn Abbas, on the Prophet ﷺ in Ramadan

Words that sit beside it

HasanA hadith meeting every condition of sahih except that one narrator's accuracy falls slightly short.الحَسَن
Da'ifA hadith that fails one of the conditions of soundness, through a broken chain or a faulty narrator.الضَّعِيف
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
Sahih li-ghayrihiA hasan hadith lifted to sahih because it is reported through more than one chain.الصَّحِيحُ لِغَيْرِهِ