«وَالْمُرَادُ بِالْعَدْلِ: مَنْ لَهُ مَلَكَةٌ تَحْمِلُهُ عَلَى مُلَازَمَةِ التَّقْوَى وَالْمُرُوءَةِ»
An upright narrator possesses an established disposition prompting adherence to piety and dignified conduct.
Malakah denotes a stable quality rather than an occasional good act. A person transmitting a report attributed to the Prophet ﷺ must provide reasonable grounds for trust in his honesty and personal conduct.
ʿAdalah concerns primarily the narrator's probity and character, whereas dabt concerns accurate reception, preservation, and delivery. A conscientious person can be poor at remembering reports; a gifted memorizer does not automatically become morally reliable. The two requirements are complementary but distinct.