Khabar al-wāḥid is categorised, with respect to acceptance and rejection, into the following kinds:
When the routes of a ḥasan li-dhātihi narration multiply, the ḥadīth is upgraded to al-ṣaḥīḥ li-ghayrihi (the sound by virtue of something other than itself).
If a ḥadīth of slight weakness comes through multiple routes, it becomes al-ḥasan li-ghayrihi (the fair by virtue of something other than itself).
If the retention (ḍabṭ) is light while the other attributes of ṣaḥīḥ remain present, it is al-ḥasan li-dhātihi (the fair in itself).
A visual summary of the five-grade classification of aḥādīth: ṣaḥīḥ li-dhātihi, ḥasan li-dhātihi, ṣaḥīḥ li-ghayrihi, ḥasan li-ghayrihi and ḍaʿīf.
