There are four definitions of al-musnad:
Muqaddimat Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ, pp. 40 to 41; Sharḥ al-Nukhba, p. 86. I say: what Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar said, that ʿAllāmah al-Ḥākim's definition is identical with his own, is open to evident objection. See: Maʿrifat ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth, pp. 17 to 19. ↩
Scholars differ on the precise definition of al-munqaṭiʿ; Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr makes it the broadest category, while for the mutaqaddimūn and the fuqahāʾ it is identical with al-mursal.
Whether a mubtadiʿ's innovation amounts to outright disbelief or proceeds from misinterpretation, and how the imāms differ on accepting his narration.
The definition of al-marfūʿ in al-Mulakhkhaṣ: al-marfūʿ (literally, that which is raised) is what is attributed to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ.
Al-mawḍūʿ is that which has been concocted and fabricated. It is known by four indications, and may not be narrated to one who knows its condition without disclosure.
