Hadith of Golden Chain Hadith of Golden Chain Hadith al-Silsilah al-Dhahab () (Hadith of the Golden Chain) is a hadith narrated from Ali al-Ridha, the eighth Imam of the Shia. The "chain" is a reference to the continuity of spiritual authority which is passed down from Muhammad to Ali ibn Abi Talib, through each of the Imams, to Imam Ridha. As transmitters of Hadith, the Imams link subsequent generations to the teachings of Mohammad. This transmission makes the Hadith of the Golden Chain valued as among the most truthful and accurate of all Hadiths for the Shi'ite. The hadith is important to shia because
Hadith terminology in and of itself"with the same definition a "ṣaḥīḥ hadith" except that the competence of one of its narrators is less than complete; while a "hadith" that is "ḥasan ligharihi" ("ḥasan due to external factors") is determined to be "ḥasan" due to corroborating factors such as numerous chains of narration. He states that it is then comparable to a "ṣaḥīḥ hadith" in its religious authority. A "ḥasan hadith" may rise to the level of being "ṣaḥīḥ" if it is supported by numerous "isnād" (chains of narration); in this case that "hadith" would be "ḥasan lithatihi" (""ḥasan" in and of itself")