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I understand that there are different of opinions about the requirements needed for a hadith to be considered mutawatir.

According to this answer, the most commonly accepted definitions is one of three trustworthy narration chains, which is one of the conditions the scholars differ on.

What is the minimum amount of narrations needed in order for a hadith to be classed as mutawatir according to the different scholars?

When answering, please try to be as structured as possible. For instance adding which scholars says what and hopefully adding references to a book or such where the scholar says this.

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  • Basically any opinion quoting a minimum amount has no backup... but a logical approach would say it needs at least 4 as else the hadith would be considered as ahaad ;) Imam as-Suyuti quoted 10 as a minimum.
    – Medi1Saif ♦
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 10:14

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Basically any opinion quoting a minimum amount has no backup... but a logical approach would say it needs at least 4 as else the hadith would be considered as a kind of ahaad (well strictly speaking even here the definition between earlier and later scholars differ so that the whole matter seems a bit spongy).

Imam as-Suyuti quoted 10 as a minimum. Just to show that there's no real backup here some claimed minimum amounts and their "evidences":

Some said 12 based on:

and We delegated from among them twelve leaders. (5:12)

some said 20 based on the verse:

If there are among you twenty [who are] steadfast, they will overcome two hundred. (8:65)

70 as Moses/Musa() has chosen 70 of his people:

And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment. (7:155)

others said 313, the amount of the people whom participated at the battle of badr!

others made the claim 1700, the amount of the sahaba (known).

A-Shanqiti however states that there must be at least 4 witnesses, as is the minimum amount of witnesses for zina.

Imam ibn Hazm said tawatur can be by two witnesses, if we can exclude that they have lied!

Some sources so far (all in Arabic):
As-Sulaymani net quoting Shi'a opinion too.
Islamweb open link الحديث المتواتر to read details.
A thread on feqhweb.

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  • If I am not mistaken, in this answer , in point 3, it says that "the most commonly accepted one of three trustworthy narration chains." - While you say at least 4
    – Kilise
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 10:20
  • @Kilise I hope that someone better than me can answer it properly as it would need to check the sources for each claim!
    – Medi1Saif ♦
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 10:31

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