Ma’rifat al-‘ālī wa al-nāzil[1]
‘Uluw[2] is of five types:
- Proximity to the Prophet ﷺ.[3]
- Proximity to the imām’s from the imām’s of ḥadīth.[4]
- Elevation relative to the narration of a famous work.[5]
In these categories there occurs muwāfaqah, badl, musāwāh and muṣāfaḥah.
Muwāfaqah[6] is to reach the shaykh of one of the authors of aḥādīth.[7]
Badl[8] is to reach the shaykh of his shaykh,[9] or one who is above him.[10]
Musāwāh[11] is when the number of narrators between you and the Prophet ﷺ or a ṣaḥābah or someone after them, is the same as that which occurs between one of the authors of aḥādīth and them.[12]
Muṣāfaḥah[13] is the same as musāwāh except that the student of the author is given consideration and not the author himself.[14]
- Elevation by considering the date of death of the narrator.
- Elevation by precedence of hearing.
[1] Knowledge of elevated and demoted chains. Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī mentions that there is no benefit of taking short chains in this era.
[2] ‘Uluw, singular ‘Ālī narrations are of five types
[3] Such as the thunāī of Imām Mālik, and the thulāthiyyāt of Imām Bukhāri. This is termed ‘Uluw Muṭlaq according to Ibn Ḥājar in his Sharḥ of Nukhbat al-Fikar.
[4] Such as Ibn Daqīq al-`Īd having six narrators between himself and Imām Mālik and Ibn Uyaynah, and five narrators between him and Imām Bukhāri and Abū Dāwūd. This is termed `Uluw Nisbī according to Ibn Ḥājar in his Sharḥ of Nukhbat al-Fikar.
[5] For example if you read ḥadīth niyyah with 30 narrators to the Prophet ﷺ via chain of Bukhāri, and there is an alternative chain via Muslim which has 28 narrators, then the latter chain is compared to Bukhāri. Ibn Ḥājar has combined this third category with the second and termed it `Uluw Nisbī.
[6] Literally; agreement.
[7] The narrators have the same teacher. See Example (2).
[8] Literally; substitute.
[9] The narrators have a different teacher, but the chain meets further up. See Example (3) in the diagram below.
[10] For example; Imām Bukhāri narrates a ḥadīth from al-Ḥumaydī who narrates from Ibn `Uyaynah who narrates from Zuhrī. Thus if we narrate from another sanad from al-Ḥumaydī this will be a muwāfaqah. If we narrate from Ibn `Uyaynah or from Zuhrī this will be a badl.
[11] Literally; equality.
[12] Example of musāwāh to Prophet ﷺ: Imām Nasā`ī to the Prophet ﷺ is 11 narrators and Ibn Ḥājar to the Prophet ﷺ is 11 narrators. Also, Abū Uwanah has 5 narrators to the Prophet ﷺ and Imām Bukhāri also has 5 narrators to the Prophet ﷺ.
Example of musāwāh to ṣaḥābah: Bukhāri to Ibn Mas’ūd and Tirmidhī to Ibn Mas’ūd.
Example of musāwāh to other narrators: Bukhāri to Shu’bah is 2 narrators, Ibn Majah to Shu’bah is 2 narrators.
[13] Literally; handshake.
[14] For example: Nasā`ī reached the Prophet ﷺ in 10 narrators and al-Ḥākim reached the Prophet ﷺ in 10 narrators, then this is musāwāh between Nasā`ī and al-Ḥākim. If al-Ḥākim narrated with 11 narrators then this will be musāwāh between him and the students of Nasā`ī, and muṣāfaḥa to Nasā`ī, as if he has met Nasā`ī and done muṣāfaḥa (lit. shook his hands).
