1. Itiśāl as-Sanad
2. Adālatur-Ruwāt
3. Dabt ar-Ruwāt
4. Adam ash-Shudhoodh
5. Adam al-`Illah
- Itiśāl as-Sanad: (A fully connected chain of narration): This means that each narrator in the chain of narration took directly from the one before him, and he in turn took the narration directly from the one before him and so on from the beginning of the sanad (chain of narration) till its end.
- `Adālatur-Ruwāt: (Trustworthiness/reliability of the narrators): That every narrator can be described (after research) to be a Muslim, adult, free from major sins (and one who does not commit sins openly), and the narrator cannot be one who possesses bad manners and hateful habits (ghairu makhroom al-maroo’ati). So the narrator should be known for piety (taqwaa), free from shirk, open sins, and innovations (bid`ah). See “Nuzhatun-Nadhr” p.51.
- Dabt ar-Ruwāt: That every narrator in the chain is precise and accurately reports what he took from the narrator before him. This can be done in two ways: a) either accurately reporting what has been memorised (dabt aś-śadr) or, b) accurately reporting what he has written down (dabt al-kitāb).
- `Adam ash-Shudhoodh: (absence of contradiction of that which is stronger): Meaning that the hadeeth cannot contradict another hadeeth that has been reported by narrators that are more trustworthy and greater in precision.
- `Adam al-`Illah: (absence of hidden defects): This is where there maybe a subtle hidden defect that deems the hadeeth as being inauthentic – whilst on the surface it may seem sound.