View source for Les hadiths Daif (faible) et 'Mawdu' (fabriqués)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Mawdu' (Fabricated) and Da'if (Weak) Hadiths}}
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'''Mawdu'''' (fabricated) hadiths are a specific variety of '''da'if''' (weak/unreliable) [[Hadith|hadiths]]. While a da'if hadith does not have to be mawdu' (as a hadith may be considered unreliable for reasons other than fabrication), a hadith that is identified as mawdu' (that is, as a fabrication), then it must consequently be da'if. The term da'if, like the term sahih, describes a final evaluative judgement about a narration rather than specifying the reasoning for the judgement. Also, because there are more ways for a hadith to be unreliable than reliable, there is greater diversity of reasons for which a hadith maybe da'if (by contrast, while there are different types of sahih hadith, the number of distinct types is much more limited). Among the different reasons for which a hadith can be da'if, being identified as an outright fabrication is perhaps the strongest form of weakness on the basis of which a hadith can be rejected (other forms of weakness include, for instance, a hadith being ''mursal'', which means that the companion narrating the hadith from Muhammad is missing in the chain of transmitters, although it can get a lot more complicated than this, particularly when multiple hadiths with the same/similar message are considered together). 

Whereas fabricated and weak hadiths in general play a limited role in the determination of [[Shari'ah (Islamic Law)|Islamic laws]] and beliefs<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503547442|title= May People Act According to a Weak Hadith?|publisher= Islam Online|author= Muzammil Siddiqi|series= Fatwa Bank|date= September 27, 2003|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20061216005731%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.islamonline.net%2Fservlet%2FSatellite%3Fpagename%3DIslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FFatwaE%26cid%3D1119503547442&date=2014-03-15|deadurl=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_251_300/52_weak_ahadith.htm|title= 52 Weak Ahadith|publisher= Islamic Research Foundation International|author=Ibrahim B. Syed |date= accessed November 20, 2011 |archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_251_300/52_weak_ahadith.htm&date=2011-11-20|deadurl=no}}</ref> (with some important exceptions, particularly in Hanbali [[Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)|fiqh]]), they have very frequently been used in sermons and other forms of da'wah, or calling to Islam (whether for a Muslim or non-Muslim audience). Classical Muslim scholars often permitted the use of known weak and even fabricated hadiths in various forms of preaching on the consideration that such usage would strengthen people's faith while at the same time not impacting formal Islamic law or doctrine. Though such general permission did not go uncritiqued, it was very often the norm, especially when it involved popular preachers over whom the scholars did not have much control. This practice has largely persisted into modern times but has faced growing criticism. There are two reasons why this shift in thinking may be taking place. On the one hand, with modern communications technology, weak hadiths can spread rapidly, and scholars are wary of the consequences of this. On the other hand, preachers' audiences now have access to the internet which can be used to verify the authenticity of a hadith and, as a result, preachers are wary of quoting material that their audiences will sooner or later come to realize is unreliable (thus undermining their own credibility). 

While this transition is ongoing, recent generations of Muslims across the world, particularly in past decades, frequently encounter hadiths that are known to be both weak and fabricated in sermons. Indeed, even today, some of the most famous hadiths popularly known and referenced in the Muslim world are of weak or fabricated variety.