«والمشهور: ما كان أوله كالآحاد ثم اشتهر في العصر الثاني والثالث وتلقته الأمة بالقبول»
Mashhur begins like an ahad report, then spreads in the second and third generations and is received with acceptance.
The definition combines limited early transmission with later recognition and acceptance. Merely being famous among readers today does not satisfy this technical definition.
A report could initially circulate through limited transmitters yet gain wider circulation and reception among the successor generations. It remains different from uninterrupted tawatur from the beginning and from an ordinary solitary report.
Examples: Reports about wiping over footwear and stoning illustrate this category; the point here is circulation and acceptance, not their full subsidiary laws.