Categories of Hadith a khabar and, therefore, a hadith can be a true report or a concoction. It is on the basis of this premise that the Muslim scholars hold that a hadith offers a "ẓannī" (inconclusive/probably true) evidence. It is as though a hadith may have many possibilities on the plane of reliability. In one of the major works in the science of hadith, Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi has divided the individual narratives in the following categories, according to their epistemic value: Categories of Hadith Different categories of hadith (sayings attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad) have been used by various scholars. Experts in
Introduction to the Science of Hadith authored an abridgement: The following have set "Introduction" to verse, adding some content in the process: The numerous editions of the "Introduction" in its original Arabic include two of the more reliable: The "Introduction" has been translated into English and published as "An Introduction to the Science of Hadith", by Eerik Dickinson, as part of the Great Books of Islamic Civilization series. The translator has provided a biography of Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ derived from numerous sources, in addition to copious footnotes throughout. It is published by Garnet Publishing Limited, Reading, 2006, 356 pgs. Introduction to the Science of Hadith (Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ's)