A ḥadīth mutawātir[1] is that which has been narrated by:
- numerous people;
- who have relied on their senses and not intellect, such as by hearing or seeing themselves;
- such that it is impossible for everyone to collude upon a lie; and
- the above conditions are found in every generation, from the beginning of the sanad to the end of the sanad.
These are referred to as the conditions of tawātur.
Thus, a mutawātir narration gives benefit to knowledge which is self-evident[2] and obvious, and therefore requires no proof.[3] Therefore, a mutawātir narration is axiomatically accepted and no additional scrutiny is required as to its acceptability.
[1] Derived from tawātur, literally; to follow consecutively. Such as tawātur al-maṭr, meaning the rain fell consecutively.
[2] ‘Ilm al-badīhi, also known as ‘ilm al-yaqīn, ‘ilm al-ḍarūrī and ‘ilm al-qaṭī’.
[3] Note that mutawātir is of two types;
- Mutawātir lafẓi are those aḥādīth which are mutawātir in wording, such as the ḥadīth “مَنْ كَذَب عليَّ، فليتبوَّأ مقعده من النار”, meaning “Whosoever tells a lie against me intentionally then surely let him occupy his seat in Hell-Fire”. This ḥadīth is narrated by more than 60 ṣaḥābah including all ten of those given the glad tidings of paradise.
- Mutawātir ma’nawī are those aḥādīth which are mutawātir in terms of meaning, but not necessarily wording. For example, the Prophet ﷺ did miswāk is mutawātir, but the many narrations found are different in terms of their wording.
