«وَحَيْثُ لَا جُبْرَانَ، فَهُوَ الْحَسَنُ لِذَاتِهِ»
Where there is no compensating support, the report remains hasan in itself.
The uprightness of the narrators, continuity, freedom from shudhudh, and absence of hidden disqualifying defects remain necessary. The distinguishing feature is the degree of precision: still acceptable, but not equal to that of the most accurate transmitters. Hasan li-dhatihi is a valid category of acceptance on its own terms.
Example: Two chains contain upright narrators. The key narrator in the first preserves exceptionally well; another narrator in the second is generally sound but less exact than leading preservers. Provided the other conditions hold, the former can be sahih li-dhatihi and the latter hasan li-dhatihi.