«مِنِ اسْمٍ، أَوْ كُنْيَةٍ، أَوْ لَقَبٍ، أَوْ صِفَةٍ، أَوْ حِرْفَةٍ، أَوْ نَسَبٍ»
A narrator may be described by a personal name, teknonym, epithet, attribute, occupation, or lineage.
One transmitter can appear under a personal name in one chain, a kunya in another, and a nisba elsewhere. One designation may become famous while the others look unfamiliar. Different labels alone do not prove that different individuals are involved.
Investigation compares a person’s teachers, students, period, locales, and distinctive identifying features. Converging evidence can establish that several labels refer to one individual. Conversely, a superficial resemblance must not be used to merge genuinely different people.