Third essential:

 A Tradition related by numerous reliable authorities is indisputable. This form of relation (tawatur) has two kinds: obvious tawatur (a Tradition with numerous chains of transmission by reliable authorities) and tawatur with respect to meaning. This second one also has two kinds: those agreed upon by silence and those unanimously related by different people but with different words. In the first case, a Tradition related in the presence of others without engendering any dispute or is met with silence enjoys an implied acceptance. If those remaining silent are interested in the narration and are known to be very sensitive to errors and lies, their silence implies acceptance with far more certainty. The second kind, tawatur with respect to meaning, occurs when an incident is related unanimously by different people but with different words, as this also implies its actual occurrence. In addition, a report with only one chain of transmission sometimes amounts to the degree of tawatur in certain conditions or through some external signs.

Most of the Prophet's miracles and his Prophethood's proofs fall into either category. Although a few are related through only one chain of transmitters, they can be regarded as certain as if related through tawatur, since they have been accepted by confirmed authorities. Among such authorities were those who memorized more than 100,000 Traditions, who were so God-conscious that for years they performed the morning prayer with the night prayer's wudu' (ablution) (spending night awake in long vigils), and who compiled the six authentic books of Tradition.[1]

Any Tradition accepted after much scrutiny has the certainty of tawatur, even if it had only one chain of transmitters, for such people were so familiar with the Prophet's Traditions and exalted style that they could instantly spot and reject one false Tradition among 100 reports. Like an expert jeweler recognizes a pure diamond, they could not confuse other words with those of the Prophet. However, such meticulous authorities as Ibn al-Jawziya were so excessive in their criticism that they considered several authentic Traditions to be false. This does not mean that the meaning of every false wording is wrong; rather, it means that the wording does not belong to the Prophet.

Question: What is the benefit of relating every Tradition through a chain of transmitters, so that they say, even for a well-known incident: "It is related from so-and-so and from so-and-so, etc."?

Answer: This has many benefits, such as showing the consensus of the truthful and reliable narrators, meticulous Traditionists, as well as the unanimity of the discerning authorities mentioned. Also, it shows that each scholar in the chain puts his seal on its authenticity.

Question: Why were miracles not transmitted with as great an emphasis as the Shari'a's basic rules?

Answer: The Shari'a's rules are used by most people to guide their lives and are applicable to everyone. Miracles, on the other hand, do not need to be known to everyone and only need to be heard once. For example, some religious obligations (such as the funeral prayer) only need to be observed by a few people and not the entire community. In the same way, only some people need to know about the miracles. This is why a miracle, no matter how much firmer its establishment is than a Shari'a rule, is transmitted by only one or two narrators, while a Shari'a rule is transmitted by ten or twenty people.

[1] These are the books of Traditions compiled by Bukhari (d. 870), Muslim (d. 875), Abu Dawud (d. 888), Tirmidhi (d. 892), Ibn Maja (d. 886), and al-Nasa'i (d. 915). (Ed.)