Hadith Mutawtir dan Hadith Ahad

Hadith Mutawatir dan Hadith Ahad merupakan dua elemen penting kepada pengkaji-pengkaji hadith dalam Ilmu Hadith. Hadith Mutawatir ialah hadith yang diriwayat oleh sebilangan besar perawi-perawi hadith dan mustahil bagi mereka berpakat untuk berbohong, manakala sanadnya pula bersambung dari pemulaan isnad hingga ke Rasulullah SAW. Oleh itu, Hadith Mutawatir membawa keyakinan yang qath'i(pasti, unambiguous).

Manakala Hadith Ahad pula ialah hadith yang tidak menepati syarat2 hadith mutawatir.  Hadith Ahad ialah Hadith yang diriwayatkan oleh seorang hingga tiga orang(Hadith ghorib, aziz dan masyur) sahaja. Hadith Mashur mungkin akan mempunyai lebih tiga orang perawi tetapi ia tidak sampai ketahap Mutawatir. Oleh itu, kebanyakkan Hadith Ahad jatuh dalam kategori Zanni(tidak pasti, ambiguous, uncertain, arguable)

Hadith Mutawatir are hadiths that the assumption of the possibility of organised falsehood by narrators or reporters are negligible. In another word, a Mutawatir hadiths are reported by such a large number of people that they cannot be expected to agree upon a lie, even if all of them together agreed upon lying.

Examples of Mutawatir practices are the five daily prayers, fasting, zakat, the Hajj and recitation of the Qur'an. Among the Mutawatir hadith, is "Whoever invents a lie and attributes it to me intentionally, let him prepare his seat in the Fire." which was reported by 62 Companion(sahabat) from the Prophet(pbuh) himself. 

While Hadith Ahad is the Hadith that has an indication with a measure of uncertainty or a Hadith that reached us from one(hadith ghorib), two(hadith aziz) or more narrations(hadith masyur) but not large enough to make it impossible for all of the narrators to have conspired in falsehood - whether intentionally or unintentionally.

The most famous example of Ahad Hadiths is the one in which the Messenger of Allah SWT, said that deeds are judged according to the intentions behind them. The only authentic narration of this Hadith, as mentioned by Ibn Hajar was transmitted on the authority of ‘Umar ibn Khattab. 

There are differences of opinion over the authority of Ahad Hadith among the Mujtahidt Imams and their School of Thoughts(Mazhab). 

1) The Hanafi School - Ahad Hadith with no other supporting evidence(Ijma' Qiyas etc) only makes a thing wajib or makruh tahrimi but not Fardh or Haram.(there are 7 Ahkam in the Hanafi School - http://ilmuislamuallaf.blogspot.com/2014/12/ahkam-plural-hukum.html)

2) The Maliki School - Ahad Hadith with no other supporting evidence only makes a thing makruh or mustahab. It can only make something Haram or Fardh if supported by Amal of Medina, Qiyas or other Ijtihad tools. 

3) Shafii and Hanbali School - Ahad Hadith on its own can make a thing Fard/Wajib or Haram.

For most of the School of Thoughts like Hanafi, Maliki Shafii and most of the Hanbali, except the Zahiri School of Thought, the Ahad Hadith on their own cannot be used to establish essential Creed(Akidah) due to the element of speculation (Zanni) in them.

Wallahu'alam