Useful criteria relating to the acceptance of weak prophetic reports corroborated by other narrative chains

Abstract

Prophetic reports, constituting the second foundational source of the Islamic Weltanschauung, have been categorised in terms of their authenticity. The current work explores reports occurring in single transmission chains that are corroborated in word or meaning by other similarly narrated reports whose source at the level of Prophet Muhammad's companions could either be the same or different. Rules pertaining to this field have been amalgamated for the first time to simplify their application. Appropriated practical examples have been given to illustrate harmony between theory and praxis. Concentration has been restricted to a corroboration of reports by other transmission chains. An examination of the latter falls outside the scope of this investigation.