Matn


Matn is an Islamic term that is used in relation to Hadith terminology. It means the text of the hadith, excluding the isnad.

Use

A hadith is made of both an isnad and a matn.
A hadith would typically adopt the following formula:
The matn would most often come in the form of an injunction, proverb, aphorism, brief dialogue or anecdote whose sense might apply to a range of new contexts.

Shi'a use

The Shi'a science of hadith outright rejects any hadith that contradicts the Qur'an. This is due to what they perceive as instructions from the Prophet Muhammad, the Shi'a Imam, and from the Qur'an itself, which says: