Khabar and Akhbār: Words Used for Hadith

The learner can recognize Hadith as a report of the Prophet's ﷺ saying, action, tacit approval, or state. Read the bilingual lesson for Khabar and Akhbār: Words Used for Hadith and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. What will we learn?

We have learned the meanings of Hadith, narrator, sanad and matn. Hadith-study writing also uses other words for Hadith. Today we will learn the use of khabar (خبر) and akhbār (اخبار). Goal: Read a sentence and recognize whether khabar refers to a Hadith or to an everyday piece of news.

2. A familiar Hadith

The Prophet ﷺ said: إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1) Translation: Actions are judged by intentions. A teacher explaining this Hadith says, “This khabar describes the importance of intention.” Here khabar refers to this Hadith. The teacher's explanation is not part of its Arabic wording.

3. Khabar and its plural

Most scholars of Hadith use khabar and Hadith with the same meaning. • Khabar (خبر): a Hadith in this usage. • Akhbār (اخبار): the plural of khabar: Hadith reports in this usage. When discussing one Hadith, a writer may say “this khabar”; when discussing several, “these akhbār.” This is the usage we are learning, not a meaning that khabar must have in every subject.

4. Akhbār for two Hadith reports

Another saying of the Prophet ﷺ is: الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ (Sahih Muslim: 55a) Translation: Religion is sincere goodwill. • First we saw the Hadith about intentions. • Now we have seen the Hadith about sincere goodwill. These are two distinct Hadith reports. When discussing both, we may use akhbār, the plural of khabar. Here it refers to the reports, not to the people transmitting them.

5. Not every khabar means Hadith

“I received khabar that it will rain tomorrow.” In this everyday sentence, khabar means news, not Hadith.1 In everyday Urdu, “reading the akhbār” usually means reading a newspaper. How can we tell? Look at what is being discussed. In Hadith-study discussion, khabar and akhbār have the usage just taught; weather news and a daily newspaper belong to a different discussion. 1. Optional note: Khabar is also a separate term in Arabic grammar. Its details are outside this lesson; here we are learning its use for Hadith.

6. The name is not an authenticity verdict

When khabar is used for a report, the word identifies the report being discussed. The word alone does not establish that its attribution to the Prophet ﷺ has been verified. That requires scholarly investigation. As we have already learned, stating an attribution and establishing that it is correct are different things. Calling a report khabar does not remove this distinction.

7. Lesson summary

• Khabar (خبر): Hadith in the usage taught here. • Akhbār (اخبار): its plural: Hadith reports in this usage. • Most Hadith scholars use khabar and Hadith with the same meaning. Understand khabar from the discussion: weather news does not become a Hadith, and calling a report khabar does not by itself verify its attribution.

Practice questions

Question 1

While discussing the intentions Hadith, a teacher says, “The transmitters of this khabar were mentioned earlier.” What does khabar refer to here?

  • The people who transmitted the Hadith.
  • The daily newspaper.
  • The Hadith being discussed.

Question 2

After teaching the Hadith reports about intentions and sincere goodwill, a teacher says, “Understand these akhbār.” What is the learner to understand?

  • The two Hadith reports.
  • The names of their transmitters.
  • Everyday news reports.

Question 3

Match each description with the appropriate term in the Hadith-study usage taught here.

Question 4

A passage calls a report khabar. This word alone is enough to establish that its attribution to the Prophet ﷺ has been verified.

  • True
  • False

Question 5

Which sentence gives everyday news rather than using khabar in the sense of Hadith?

  • This khabar reports a saying of the Prophet ﷺ.
  • We received khabar that today's lesson at the mosque has changed time.
  • We have already read a translation of the matn of the intentions khabar.

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