A chain like links: A Hadith reaches us through a chain of people, like links in a chain. If one link is weak, the whole chain is weak.
Five people, one weak memory: Suppose five people pass a message along, and the fourth person has a very weak memory. He may forget a word, or change a word by mistake. The message at the end may not be exactly what was first said.
Scholars check every link: That is why scholars do not just read a Hadith and accept it. They check every link in the chain. If all the links are strong, the Hadith is strong. If one link is weak, the Hadith is weak.
Example
Chinese whispers: In a game of Chinese whispers, ten children sit in a line. The first child whispers, "The cat is black." The last child says, "The hat is back."
One weak link changes the message: The message changed because someone in the middle heard it wrong. A chain of narrators works the same way — one weak link can change the message.
Key Terms
- Sanad (سند) — the chain of narrators of a Hadith
- Link (کڑی) — one narrator in the chain
Quran or Hadith
None used in this topic.
Fresh diagram to be drawn: A chain of five links, four strong and blue, one cracked and red, with the caption "One weak link weakens the whole chain."
- A Hadith reaches us through a chain of people, like links in a chain.
- If one link is weak, the whole chain is weak.
- Scholars check every link before they accept a Hadith.