Ya kamata mutum ya san ma'anonin kalmomin da masana hadisi (muhaddithin) suke amfani da su akai-akai. Su ne: hadisi, khabar, athar da Sunnah; daga fuskar kalmomin hadisi da isnadinsa: matn, sanad, isnad, musnad da musnid; daga fuskar masu ruwaito hadisi: muhaddith, hafidh, hujjah da hakim. Dangane da bayanin ma'anonin wadannan kalmomi a cikin ilimin hadisi, sun kasance kamar haka:

One should be familiar with the meanings of terms that are frequently used by the muhaddithin. They are: hadīth, khabar, athar and Sunnah; from the perspective of the terms of hadīth and its transmission: matn, sanad, isnād, musnad and musnid; from the perspective of the transmitters: muhaddith, hāfidh, hujjah and hākim. As for the exposition of the meanings of these words in the terminology of hadīth, then it is as follows:

1. Hadīth: Duk abin da aka danganta ga Annabi ﷺ na maganganunsa, ayyukansa, yardarsa ko siffofinsa na zahiri, watau abin da ya shafi halittarsa kamar rashin tsayinsa da rashin gajarcewarsa, ko kuma dabi'unsa, watau abin da ya shafi dabi'unsa kamar [rashin mayar da martani ga kowa da wani abu da ake ƙi (makrūh)]. Khabar da Sunnah suna da ma'ana iri ɗaya. Suna daidai da kalmar hadīth. Dukansu, watau hadīth, khabar da Sunnah, suna da ma'ana ɗaya. Amma athar shi ne hadīth da ya tsaya a wurin Sahabbai [mawqūf].

1. Hadīth: Whatever has been attributed to the Prophet  of his sayings, actions, consent or physical attributes i.e, relating to his creation such as his not being tall nor short, or his character, that is, relating to his character such as his [not countering anyone with anything makrūh]. Khabar and Sunnah have this same meaning. They are synonymous with the term hadīth. All of them, i.e, hadīth, khabar and Sunnah have the same meaning. As for athar it is the hadīth stopping [mawqūf] at the Sahābah .

2. Matn: Ita ce maganar da ke a ƙarshen mafi girman ɓangaren sanad. Sanad ita ce hanyar da ta kai zuwa ga matn, wato mutanen (masu ruwaya) da suke kai zuwa gare shi. Isnad yana ɗaga (haɗa) hadisi zuwa ga wanda ya faɗe shi. Musnad shi ne hadisin da sarkar isnadinsa ke haɗa farkonsa da ƙarshensa (ba tare da wani katsewa ba), koda kuwa mawquf ne. Kalmar musnad kuma ana amfani da ita ga littafin da aka tattara a cikinsa ruwayoyin Sahabbai. Dangane da musnid kuwa, shi ne mutumin da yake ruwaito hadisi tare da isnadinsa.

2. Matn: The speech which comes at the end of the highest part of the sanad. The sanad is the path leading to the matn which is the men (transmitters) who lead to it. The isnād raises (links) the hadīth to the one who said it. Musnad is that (hadīth) whose chain connects its beginning to its end (without any breaks) even if it is mawqūf. The word musnad is also applied to a book in which transmissions of the Sahabah are collected. As for musnid it is the person who narrates the Hadith with its isnād.

3. Muhaddith: mutum wanda yake ɗaukar hadīsi kuma ya mayar da hankalinsa a kansa ta fuskar isnādinsa da ma'anarsa. Hāfiz: mutum wanda ya haddace hadīsai ɗari ɗari dubu tare da matn da sanad, koda kuwa ta layukan ruwaito daban-daban, kuma ya san abin da ake buƙata daga gare shi. Hujjah: mutum wanda ya san hadīsai ɗari uku dubu sosai; kuma Hākim: mutum wanda ya san dukkan Sunnah sosai.

3. Muhaddith: someone who carries the hadīth and devotes his attention to it in terms of its transmission and meaning. The hāfidh: someone who has committed to memory a hundred thousand ahadīth with the matn and sanad even if through various lines of transmission and he is aware of what he requires. The hujjah: someone who is thoroughly acquainted with three hundred thousand ahadīth; and the hākim: someone who is thoroughly acquainted with the entirety of the Sunnah.