What is the meaning of al-Tirmidhi's statement "hasan gharib"? I hope you will clarify this technical term.
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The questioner : O Shaykh (may Allah preserve him), what is the meaning of al-Tirmidhi's statement "hasan gharib"? I hope you will clarify this technical term, and may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Among the things scholars have noted, and their followers note with knowledge, is that al-Tirmidhi has technical terms in his book that he used exclusively, unlike other famous scholars. Sometimes he says of a hadith, "a hasan gharib hadith," as you heard, and sometimes he does not use the word "gharib" but simply says "a hasan hadith." The difference is that by the first expression, "hasan gharib," he means "hasan in itself," and by the second expression, "hasan hadith," he means "hasan due to other chains." This is his technical usage. He mentioned the second term at the end of his Sunan, in the book called Kitab al-'Ilal, where he said, to the effect of: "Every hadith in which I say 'a hasan hadith,' I mean a hadith that came through chains in which there is no accused, abandoned, or severely weak narrator." This is the meaning of his words, and this is the hasan hadith that scholars discuss, which is strengthened by the multiplicity of chains, provided that it does not contain a severely weak narrator.
As for his first term, "hasan gharib", it cannot be interpreted with the meaning or interpretation of the first term for two reasons:
The first is that al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) only explained the "hasan hadith" and did not explain "hasan gharib." Therefore, it is not permissible to equate the two terms and give them the previous ruling, namely that it is a hasan hadith due to other chains. This is the first reason.
And for a second reason: al-Tirmidhi sometimes, in some hadiths, instead of saying "hasan gharib" or "hasan hadith," says "gharib hadith." What is the meaning of "gharib hadith" in that case? "Gharib" means "singular," and the intent is that one of the narrators mentioned in the chain of that hadith narrated it uniquely. Therefore, when we return to his first expression, "hasan gharib hadith," we cannot interpret it as meaning the hasan that rose to the level of hasan by coming through multiple chains, because here he said it is singular and gharib, having no other chains; rather, it is hasan through this specific chain. In this case, Imam al-Hafiz al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) indicates that in every chain of a hadith in which he said "hasan gharib," he means that one of its narrators has a slight deficiency in his precision and memorization of the hadith. Thus, the hadith is hasan in itself. It is not in the category of sahih, because in a sahih hadith, the narrator is a thiqah (trustworthy), precise, and memorizer. In a hasan hadith, the precision and memorization are slightly less than that of the narrator in a sahih hadith. So, when he says "hasan gharib," it means that the chain is hasan in itself, with one of its narrators having a slight weakness in his memorization. This is the intended meaning of al-Tirmidhi's technical term.
The Shaykh : Among the things scholars have noted, and their followers note with knowledge, is that al-Tirmidhi has technical terms in his book that he used exclusively, unlike other famous scholars. Sometimes he says of a hadith, "a hasan gharib hadith," as you heard, and sometimes he does not use the word "gharib" but simply says "a hasan hadith." The difference is that by the first expression, "hasan gharib," he means "hasan in itself," and by the second expression, "hasan hadith," he means "hasan due to other chains." This is his technical usage. He mentioned the second term at the end of his Sunan, in the book called Kitab al-'Ilal, where he said, to the effect of: "Every hadith in which I say 'a hasan hadith,' I mean a hadith that came through chains in which there is no accused, abandoned, or severely weak narrator." This is the meaning of his words, and this is the hasan hadith that scholars discuss, which is strengthened by the multiplicity of chains, provided that it does not contain a severely weak narrator.
As for his first term, "hasan gharib", it cannot be interpreted with the meaning or interpretation of the first term for two reasons:
The first is that al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) only explained the "hasan hadith" and did not explain "hasan gharib." Therefore, it is not permissible to equate the two terms and give them the previous ruling, namely that it is a hasan hadith due to other chains. This is the first reason.
And for a second reason: al-Tirmidhi sometimes, in some hadiths, instead of saying "hasan gharib" or "hasan hadith," says "gharib hadith." What is the meaning of "gharib hadith" in that case? "Gharib" means "singular," and the intent is that one of the narrators mentioned in the chain of that hadith narrated it uniquely. Therefore, when we return to his first expression, "hasan gharib hadith," we cannot interpret it as meaning the hasan that rose to the level of hasan by coming through multiple chains, because here he said it is singular and gharib, having no other chains; rather, it is hasan through this specific chain. In this case, Imam al-Hafiz al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) indicates that in every chain of a hadith in which he said "hasan gharib," he means that one of its narrators has a slight deficiency in his precision and memorization of the hadith. Thus, the hadith is hasan in itself. It is not in the category of sahih, because in a sahih hadith, the narrator is a thiqah (trustworthy), precise, and memorizer. In a hasan hadith, the precision and memorization are slightly less than that of the narrator in a sahih hadith. So, when he says "hasan gharib," it means that the chain is hasan in itself, with one of its narrators having a slight weakness in his memorization. This is the intended meaning of al-Tirmidhi's technical term.