The Collection of Hadith – JSS1 Islamic Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

Hadith are the sayings, actions and approvals of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and they are the second most important source of Islamic teaching after the Holy Quran.

• Time span: the collection of Hadith was a careful process that took several centuries.
• This lesson covers: the meaning and importance of Hadith, their structure, how they were preserved and collected, the six major books, and how scholars checked authenticity.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define Hadith and state why Hadith are important in Islam.
2. Explain the two main parts of a Hadith (isnad and matn).
3. Describe how Hadith were preserved during the Prophet’s lifetime and collected after his death.
4. Name the six major Hadith collections and their compilers.
5. Describe the methods scholars used to check whether a Hadith was authentic, and name the main categories of Hadith.

What are Hadith?

Hadith are the reports of what Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, did or approved.

• Meaning of the word: “Hadith” in Arabic means speech, report or narrative.
• Sayings: what the Prophet said.
• Actions: what he did, as seen by others.
• Silent approvals: things done in his presence that he did not forbid.
• Descriptions: reports of what he looked like.

Why are Hadith important in Islam?

Hadith are important because they explain and complete the teaching of the Quran.

1. They explain the Quran: many verses are general, and Hadith give the details.
2. They add rules: they give rulings not stated in the Quran.
3. They show practice: they show how the Prophet lived and applied Islam in daily life.
4. They preserve wisdom: they keep the Prophet’s teachings for later generations.
5. They guide Muslims: they show how to follow the Prophet’s example (Sunnah).

• Quranic support: Allah says, “Obey Allah and obey the Messenger” (Quran 4:59).
• Meaning: following the Prophet’s teachings, found in Hadith, is required in Islam.

What is the structure of a Hadith?

A complete Hadith has two main parts: the isnad and the matn.

• Isnad (chain of narrators): the list of people who passed the Hadith on, from the companion who heard or saw the Prophet to the collector who wrote it down.
• Example of isnad: “Umar ibn al-Khattab narrated that he heard from the Prophet…”
• Matn (text): the actual words of the Prophet, or the description of his action.
• Example of matn: “…that he said: ‘Actions are judged by intentions, and everyone will get what they intended.'”
• Why both matter: scholars study the isnad and the matn together to decide whether a Hadith is authentic.

How were Hadith preserved during the Prophet’s lifetime?

During the Prophet’s lifetime (570 to 632 CE), Hadith were preserved mainly by memory, with some writing.

Memorisation

• Careful memorising: many Arabs had strong memory traditions.
• Repetition: companions repeated what they heard to each other.
• Teaching: they taught new Muslims what they had learned.
• Attending gatherings: they came to the Prophet’s gatherings in order to learn.

Limited writing

• Early discouragement: the Prophet at first discouraged writing Hadith, to avoid mixing them with the Quran.
• Later permission: he allowed some companions to write down his sayings.
• Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As: he had a collection called “As-Sahifah as-Sadiqah”.
• Ali ibn Abi Talib: he had a scroll with specific rulings.
• Other companions: several kept personal notes of what they heard.

The Prophet’s teaching method

• Clear speech: he spoke clearly and sometimes repeated important things three times.
• Simple examples: he used examples and stories.
• Questions: he asked questions to hold listeners’ attention.
• Suitable teaching: he taught according to people’s needs and situations.
• Practice: he did what he taught, so companions could see his example.

How were Hadith collected after the Prophet?

After the Prophet’s death in 632 CE, Hadith were passed on by three groups: the Companions, the Successors and state-appointed scholars.

First generation: the Companions (Sahabah)

• Sharing: they shared what they had memorised with each other.
• Teaching: they taught the next generation.
• Collection: they began more systematic collection of sayings.
• Care: they were very careful about what they attributed to the Prophet.
• Spread: they moved across the growing Islamic empire, taking their knowledge with them.

Second generation: the Successors (Tabi’un)

• Who they were: the students of the Companions.
• Travel: they travelled to meet different companions and learn from them.
• Organisation: they began arranging Hadith by topic.
• Teaching circles: they started more formal circles of study.
• Concern for accuracy: they cared about authenticity.
• Examples: Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib, Urwah ibn Zubayr and Hasan al-Basri.

Who began the official collection of Hadith?

The official collection of Hadith began under Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (Umar II), the Umayyad Caliph who ruled from 717 to 720 CE.

• Letters: he sent official letters to scholars asking them to collect Hadith.
• Reason: he feared knowledge would be lost as the older generation passed away.
• Leader: he appointed Muhammad ibn Shihab al-Zuhri to lead the effort.
• Importance: this was the first state-sponsored collection of Hadith.

What were the early Hadith collections?

Early collections of Hadith (8th century CE) were arranged in five main ways.

What are the types of early collection?

1. Sahifah (scrolls): personal collections of individual scholars.
2. Musannaf (by topic): Hadith arranged by subject, such as prayer and fasting.
3. Musnad (by narrator): Hadith arranged by the companion who narrated them.
4. Jami’ (complete collection): a collection covering all aspects of Islam.
5. Sunan (practices): a collection focused on legal and practical matters.

Who were the important early collectors?

• Malik ibn Anas (died 795 CE): compiled “Al-Muwatta”, one of the earliest surviving Hadith collections.
• Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak (736 to 797 CE): compiled works on jihad, asceticism and other topics.
• Abdul-Razzaq al-San’ani (744 to 827 CE): compiled “Al-Musannaf”, a large topical collection.
• Ibn Jurayj (699 to 767 CE): said to be the first to compile Hadith in Makkah.

What are the six major Hadith collections?

The six major Hadith collections, called the Kutub al-Sittah (Six Books), were compiled in the 9th century CE and are the most respected.

What is special about Sahih al-Bukhari?

• Authenticity: it is considered the most authentic book after the Quran.
• Selection: Bukhari is reported to have examined over 600,000 narrations and chosen only the most authentic.
• Conditions: he set very strict conditions for accepting a Hadith.

What is special about Sahih Muslim?

• Rank: it is the second most authentic collection.
• Arrangement: it is organised in a more user-friendly way than Bukhari.
• Repetition: it has less repetition than Bukhari’s collection.

What is special about the other four books?

• Abu Dawood: includes some Hadith that are slightly less authentic but still useful.
• Tirmidhi: explains different scholarly opinions on each Hadith and classifies Hadith by level of authenticity.
• Nasa’i: pays attention to subtle differences in narrations.
• Ibn Majah: was added as the sixth book later than the others.

What are other important collections?

• Musnad Ahmad: by Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780 to 855 CE), a very large collection.
• Sunan al-Darimi: by Abdullah al-Darimi (797 to 869 CE).
• Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: by Muhammad Ibn Khuzaymah (837 to 923 CE).
• Sahih Ibn Hibban: by Muhammad Ibn Hibban (884 to 965 CE).

How did scholars check that a Hadith was authentic?

Scholars checked authenticity by studying the narrators, judging their reliability and comparing different narrations.

What methods did scholars use?

1. Ilm al-Rijal (knowledge of men): studying the lives of narrators to check four things.
   • Truthfulness and honesty.
   • Memory and accuracy.
   • Whether they could really have met the person they claim to have heard from.
   • Religious commitment and character.
2. Ilm al-Jarh wa al-Ta’dil (criticism and validation): judging narrators by four things.
   • Praise from trusted scholars.
   • Criticism from other scholars.
   • Known mistakes in narration.
   • Consistency in reporting.
3. Comparing narrations: checking four things.
   • Whether different chains support each other.
   • Whether the text is the same across narrations.
   • Whether it contradicts other established Hadith.
   • Whether it has hidden defects.

What are the categories of Hadith by authenticity?

There are four categories of Hadith by authenticity: Sahih, Hasan, Da’if and Mawdu’.

What are the other classifications of Hadith?

Hadith are also classified by the number of narrators, where the chain ends and whether the chain is continuous.

What developments came after the major collections?

After the major collections, scholars wrote commentaries, made topical collections and later used modern tools.

Commentary works

• Purpose: to explain difficult words, legal rulings, apparent contradictions and the background of each Hadith.
• Fath al-Bari: by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, a commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari.
• Sharh Sahih Muslim: by Imam al-Nawawi, a commentary on Sahih Muslim.

Topical collections

• Riyad al-Salihin (Gardens of the Righteous): by Imam al-Nawawi.
• Bulugh al-Maram (Achievement of the Goal): by Ibn Hajar.
• Al-Arba’in al-Nawawiyyah (Forty Hadith): by Imam al-Nawawi.
• Mishkat al-Masabih (Niche of Lamps): by al-Tabrizi.

Modern developments

• Digital databases: Hadith can be searched by word or topic.
• Translations: Hadith collections now exist in many languages.
• Thematic arrangements: topics are arranged for easier reference.

Why was the collection of Hadith important?

The collection of Hadith kept the Prophet’s teachings safe and protected them from false additions.

• Preservation: the Prophet’s teachings were not lost.
• Correct practice: Islam could be practised correctly after the Prophet.
• Understanding the Quran: Hadith help Muslims understand it properly.
• Shared knowledge: Muslims in different times and places have the same information.
• Critical checking: the process taught careful study of narrators and cross-checking of reports.
• Protection against fabrication: false Hadith were identified and set aside.
• Clear standards: scholars could warn people about false narrations.

Evaluation

1. What is a Hadith, and why are Hadith important in Islam?
2. Explain the two main parts of a Hadith.
3. State three ways the companions preserved Hadith during the Prophet’s lifetime.
4. Who started the first official collection of Hadith?
5. Name three of the six major Hadith collections and their compilers.

Assignment

List the four categories of Hadith based on authenticity and explain each one in one sentence.