Hadith speech of a person. In Islamic terminology, according to Juan Campo, the term "hadith" refers to reports of statements or actions of Muhammad, or of his tacit approval or criticism of something said or done in his presence. Classical hadith specialist Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani says that the intended meaning of "hadith" in religious tradition is something attributed to Muhammad but that is not found in the Quran. Scholar Patricia Crone includes reports by others than Muhammad in her definition of hadith — "short reports (sometimes just a line or two) recording what an early figure, such as a companion of
Introduction to the Science of Hadith clarify that term and not necessarily establish it. He also distinguished his book by responding to the positions of other scholars in a detailed manner. Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ mentioned in his introduction to the "Introduction" 65 chapters, each specific to a particular type or term of hadith terminology before saying that an even larger number was conceivable. He began by discussing "ṣaḥīḥ" (authentic) as the first category, and then "ḥasan" (good) as the second, "ḍa`īf" (weak) the third, "musnad" (supported) the fourth and so on. Ibn Jamāʻah, in his abridgement, divided these terms into four different categories according to subject (and