Mutawatir & Hadith

A term that is used often in Islamic studies is the concept of Mutawātir. Mutawātir is a successive narration that has been transmitted by such a large number (thousands) of narrators at each level of its chain of transmission that it becomes particularly impossible for them to have collectively agreed upon a lie or fabrication.

This term was particularly co-opted by Hadith scholars as an argument for the authenticity of Hadith. Ironically, using mutawātir to argue for the authenticity of Hadith fails for two predominant reasons.

Reason #1: Mutwatir does not require isnad

Firstly, when information is genuinely mutawātir, it is so widely known that it does not need to be proven by a chain of narrators. For instance, how do we know that George Washington was the first president of the United States? This information has been disseminated by so many multitudes of people over the generations that we just accept this statement as fact. When presented with this claim, individuals do not ask to see the chain of narrations to authenticate this information.

Yet, when it comes to Hadith, authenticity is determined by the chain of narrators. If the fact encompassed in a Hadith was genuinely mutawatir, it would not require a chain of narrators to validate its claims; it would be accepted because it would be common knowledge.