The Difference Between Anecdotal Transmission and Direct Hearing in the Narration of Hadith

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, is there a difference between a narrator saying, "The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said," or saying, "from the Prophet," or saying, "I heard it from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)"?

Answer:
They all carry the same meaning. However, "from the Prophet" is anecdotal transmission (‘an‘anah); it may imply direct hearing, or it may imply that he did not hear it directly. This is anecdotal transmission, and it is a type of concealment (tadlis). But if he says, "I heard the Messenger," or "The Messenger said such and such," that is a direct path. However, "from the Messenger of Allah" is ambiguous; it may mean he heard it directly, or it may mean he heard it from someone else, or that it was reported to him from someone else, and he did not hear it directly from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, anecdotal transmission is considered by them to be a defect in the chain of narration.