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The hadith prompt is specialized for translating hadith literature - collections of Prophetic reports that include chains of transmission (isnad) and narrator criticism.

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What It’s For

Use the hadith prompt when translating:
  • Hadith collections (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, etc.)
  • Works with isnad chains and matn (text)
  • Texts containing narrator evaluation
  • Books with hadith codes/rumuz (kh, m, d, t, etc.)
The hadith prompt is automatically stacked on top of the master prompt. You get all master rules plus hadith-specific guidance.

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Access the Hadith Prompt

import { getPrompt } from 'wobble-bibble';

const hadithPrompt = getPrompt('hadith');
console.log(hadithPrompt.name); // "Hadith"
console.log(hadithPrompt.content); // Master + hadith rules combined

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Isnad Verb Mappings

The hadith prompt defines precise translations for transmission verbs:
ArabicEnglishNotes
حدثناNarrated to usDirect hearing
أخبرناInformed usReading to teacher
عنFromReporting from
سمعتI heardFirst person
أناInformed usShort for أخبرنا/أنبأنا
Critical: أنا in isnad context means “Informed us” (NOT “I”). This is transmission shorthand, not first-person pronoun.

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Example Translation

Source: 
حدثنا عبد الله بن يوسف أخبرنا مالك عن نافع عن ابن عمر
Output: 
ʿAbd Allāh b. Yūsuf narrated to us; Mālik informed us; from Nāfiʿ; from Ibn ʿUmar

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Chain Markers

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Tahwil (ح)

Indicates a switch to a parallel chain: 
P123 - Aḥmad narrated to us from Yaḥyá...
(ح) And Muḥammad narrated to us from Sufyān...

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Broken Chains

  • Mursal - Missing companion (Successor → Prophet)
  • Munqatiʿ - Missing link in the middle
Translate these terms as-is when they appear in the text.

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Narrator Names

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Full ALA-LC Transliteration

Use complete ALA-LC with diacritics for all narrator names: 
ʿAbd Allāh b. Yūsuf
Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī
Abū Hurayrah

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Name Connectors

Critical distinction:
  • Mid-chain: بن/ابن → b. (e.g., Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal)
  • Initial/standalone: ابن → Ibn (e.g., Ibn Taymiyyah)

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Do Not Expand Lineages

Transliterate exactly what appears in the source. Do not:
  • Add missing ancestors
  • Expand shortened names
  • Guess full identities
Source: عن مالك
Output: from Mālik (NOT “from Mālik b. Anas al-Aṣbaḥī”)

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Jarh/Ta’dil (Narrator Evaluation)

When narrator criticism terms appear, use translit (English) format: 
fīhi naẓar (he needs to be looked into)
thiqah (trustworthy)
ḍaʿīf (weak)
matrūk (abandoned)
Do NOT translate to English-only: ❌ “He is weak”
✅ “He is ḍaʿīf (weak)“

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Book Codes (Rumuz)

Preserve hadith collection codes exactly as they appear:
CodeCollection
khBukhari
mMuslim
dAbu Dawud
tTirmidhi
sNasa’i
qDaraqutni
4The four (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah)

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Example

Source: 
رواه البخاري (kh 1234) ومسلم (m 5678)
Output: 
Reported by al-Bukhārī (kh 1234) and Muslim (m 5678)
Do NOT expand codes unless the Arabic text itself expands them. Keep (kh) as (kh), not (Bukhari).

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Isnad vs. Matn

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Isnad (Chain)

Use full ALA-LC transliteration for names: 
P405 - Muḥammad b. Bashshār narrated to us; Yaḥyá informed us; from ʿUbayd Allāh; from Nāfiʿ; from Ibn ʿUmar

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Matn (Text)

Translate into English, defining technical terms: 
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Fasting is obligatory (wājib) during Ramaḍān."

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When to Use

✅ Use hadith prompt for:
  • Pure hadith collections
  • Biographical dictionaries with isnads
  • Hadith commentary (sharh) with chains
  • Takhrij works (hadith authentication)
❌ Don’t use for:
  • Fiqh texts without isnads → Use fiqh
  • Fatwa Q&A without chains → Use fatawa
  • Mixed scholarly works → Use encyclopedia_mixed

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Common Pitfalls

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1. Ana Translation

❌ Wrong: “I informed us” (nonsensical)
✅ Right: “Informed us” (transmission verb)

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2. Name Connector Errors

❌ Wrong: Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal (when mid-chain)
✅ Right: Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal

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3. Expanding Codes

❌ Wrong: (Bukhari) when source says (kh)
✅ Right: (kh)

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4. English-only Terms

❌ Wrong: “He is weak in hadith”
✅ Right: “He is ḍaʿīf (weak) in hadith”

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Example Output

Input segment: 
P1234 - حدثنا عبد الله بن يوسف قال حدثنا مالك عن نافع عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "بني الإسلام على خمس"
Expected output: 
P1234 - ʿAbd Allāh b. Yūsuf narrated to us; he said: Mālik narrated to us; from Nāfiʿ; from Ibn ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Islam is built upon five [pillars]."

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Integration with Validation

The hadith prompt output is validated by wobble-bibble’s validation engine: 
import { getPrompt, validateTranslationResponse } from 'wobble-bibble';

const prompt = getPrompt('hadith');

// Send prompt.content to LLM...
const llmOutput = "P1234 - ʿAbd Allāh b. Yūsuf...";

// Validate the response
const validation = validateTranslationResponse(llmOutput, sourceSegments);

if (!validation.isValid) {
  console.error('Validation errors:', validation.errors);
}

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Next Steps

Encyclopedia Mixed

For mixed scholarly works with hadith + other genres

Jarh wa Tadil

Specialized prompt for narrator criticism texts

Validation Guide

Learn how outputs are validated

Prompt API

Complete prompt management API reference

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