The Meaning of the Term
Source: Fatāwā Amnpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amnpūrī
❖ Question
In the terminology of jarḥ wa taʿdīl (criticism and praise of narrators), what does the word “muʾadd” (مؤد) mean?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
- The term “muʾadd” (also read as mūadd) is a word of jarḥ (criticism).
- It indicates a defect in ḥifẓ (memory) and ḍabṭ (precision) of a narrator.
- Such a narrator does not memorize properly; rather, he merely conveys what he heard without firm retention.
✿ Statements of the Scholars
◈ Imām Abū Ḥātim (رحمه الله):
“Saʿd ibn Saʿīd al-Anṣārī is a muʾadd narrator.”
Imām ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim explained:
“It means he did not memorize; he only conveyed what he heard.”
(al-Jarḥ wa-l-Taʿdīl 4/84)
◈ Imām Sufyān al-Thawrī (رحمه الله):
“Ibn Abī Laylā was a muʾadd.”
Imām ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim explained:
“It means he was not a memorizer.”
(Taqaddimat al-Jarḥ wa-l-Taʿdīl, p. 81 – with a ṣaḥīḥ isnād)
◈ Conclusion
- The word “muʾadd” in jarḥ wa taʿdīl indicates weakness in memory and lack of firm retention.
- Such a narrator transmits what he hears but without reliable preservation.
والله أعلم بالصواب
