tadlis

Tadlis is a term used in Islamic hadith studies to describe deception or concealment in the transmission of a hadith. It refers to practices by a narrator that obscure defects in the chain of transmission or in the reported text, with the aim of presenting the hadith as more reliable than it actually is. Tadlis is treated as a defect in hadith authentication, and its severity depends on the form and intent behind the concealment.

Forms of tadlis vary, but broadly involve some concealment of the chain or the narrators. One common form is substituting a different, often more popular or trusted, narrator in the chain without disclosure. Another form is omitting or masking the presence of certain narrators, especially those who might weaken the chain, while still presenting the report as coming from a reliable source. Tadlis can also involve oblique wording that gives the impression of a direct transmission from a particular person when the actual chain differs. Because these practices affect the transparency of the chain, they are carefully scrutinized in hadith criticism.

In traditional scholarship, tadlis is analyzed through examination of the wording, cross-checking with other chains, and biographical information about narrators. Different forms and degrees of tadlis are discussed in classical works on hadith criticism, and the presence of tadlis can influence the graded reliability of a narration. The overall aim is to ensure the transparency of transmission and to distinguish authentic reports from those compromised by concealment or misrepresentation.