Islam > Glossary > Al-khbr nwʿan
Discover the meaning of the term Al-khbr nwʿan (خبر نوعان) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readMursal (loose) and Musnad (supported). The Mursal is that which the narrator transmits loosely without attributing it to another narrator; it is an authoritative proof according to us just like the Musnad, contrary to the view of al-Shafi'i regarding the loose transmissions of Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, for he reported from Abu Bakr loosely. The Musnad is that which the narrator attributes to another narrator until it reaches the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Furthermore, the Musnad comprises several categories: Mutawatir (mass-transmitted), Mashhur (well-known), and Ahad (solitary). The Mutawatir is that which a group has transmitted from another group whose collusion upon a lie is inconceivable, and it is the report continuously connected to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; its legal ruling definitively necessitates both knowledge and action, to the extent that the one who denies it is deemed a disbeliever. The Mashhur is that which was a solitary report in the first era, then became widespread in the second era until it was reported by a group whose collusion upon a lie is inconceivable and the scholars received it with acceptance; it is one of the two divisions of the Mutawatir, and its legal ruling necessitates tranquility of the heart rather than certain knowledge, so that the one who denies it is deemed astray but not a disbeliever, and this is the correct position.
The solitary report (Khabar al-Ahad) is that which one individual has transmitted from another individual, which has not reached the threshold of widespread fame; its legal ruling necessitates action without necessitating certain knowledge, and for this reason it does not serve as an authoritative proof in matters of doctrine.