8 Rabi II 1437 | 19 January 2016
The author of Usul al-Shashi writes,
Mutawatir is that which is transferred from one group to [another] group such that there is no possibility of collusion upon a lie due to them being so many. [Furthermore,] it should have reached you in the same way. Examples of it is the reporting of the Quran, numbers of raka'ats and amount fixed for zakat. Its ruling is that it results in certainty (ilm qat'i) and to deny it is kufr.
Tawatur can be achieved in four ways - tawatur fil isnad, tabaqat, ta'amul and qadr mushtarak. All of them have the same ruling.
Tawatur fil Isnad
The message which is narrated with so many sanads in every generation from the time of the Prophet to now such that it is impossible for them to have colluded upon a lie in any given generation.
Example: من كذب علي متعمدا فليتبوء مقعده من النار
Tawatur fi al-tabaqat
The message for which there are no huge collection of identifiable sanads but in every generation there are so many narrators stating it from the time of the Prophet to now that it is impossible for them to have colluded upon a lie in any given generation.
Tawatur fi al-ta’amul
The message for which there are no huge collection of identifiable sanads or statements but in every generation there are so many people acting upon it from the time of the Prophet to now that it is impossible upon to have colluded upon a lie in any given generation.
Example: The five times prayer
Tawatur fi al-Qadr al-Mushtarak
The message for which there are no instances which are reported or acted to the level of tawatur, however, when multiple corroborative instances are combined it becomes such that is was impossible for them to have colluded upon a lie in any given generation.
Example: The miracles of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
Type: Note
Subject: Usul, Usul al-Shashi
Author: M. Saifur Rahman Nawhami
Collection: Notebook
ID: 160119501
Tags: Mutawatir
Updated: 05-November-2023