Introduction to Hadith

Definition:

The Hadith is the knowledge of the sayings, actions, conditions, features and confirmations of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and that of his Companions (RA) and those beyond them (who are followed in religion). [Fat‘h al-Baaqiy]

Purpose:

The purpose of gaining the knowledge of Hadith is to obtain the love, emulation and guidance of Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and thereby achieve success in this world and the hereafter.

Virtue:

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said, “May Allah illuminate and freshen the person’s face who hears [a hadith] from us and conveys it as he hears it …” [Tirmidhi]

Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) said, “People were always on piety as long as there were those who studied Hadith; but, if they learn knowledge without Hadith, they will be deviated.” [Lamahaat]

Authority of Hadith:

The Noble Qur‘an states, “And he (Prophet Muhammad PBUH) does not speak from desires. It is not but revelation sent to him,” [53: 3-4] and, “We have revealed to you [O Muhammad PBUH] the message (i.e. al-Qur’an) so that you can explain to the people what was revealed to them, in order that they may reflect.” [16: 44]

Compilation:

The 3 methods used to preserve and spread Hadiths were: oral/ memory; practice; and writing.

The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) would repeat important matters thrice to make memorisation and understanding easy. He (Peace Be Upon Him) would listen to his companions and ask them questions to assess what they had learnt. He appointed several companions to teach and educate deputations from outside of Madinah.

At times, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) taught his ways through practical demonstration, including the method of Wudhu, Salah, Hajj etc. Many stayed with him and observed his practices. His instructions included, “pray as you see me praying“ [Bukhari] and, “learn from me the rituals of Hajj.“ [Muslim].

Similarly, there are many letters and documents written on behalf of Prophet PBUH to the kings, Muslim governors and other companions. These documents included prophetic teachings, legal matters and other instructions.

The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said, “Seek assistance through your right hand and he indicated to writing with his hands,“ [Tirmidhi] and “Capture knowledge … It is [by] writing down knowledge“. [Mustadrak]

Abu Huraira RA narrates that none of the companions of Prophet PBUH gathered more Hadiths than he did besides ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn al-‘Aas RA, because “he used to write and I would not write.” [Bukhari]

Sa’eed Ibn Hilal RA says, ‘We used to frequent Anas Ibn Maalik RA. He used to take out his compilations and say I heard these from Prophet PBUH, and wrote them and presented them to Prophet PBUH.’ [Mustadrak]

Kurayb Ibn Abi Muslim RA states, ‘I possess compilations of Abdullah Ibn Abbaas RA equivalent to the weight of a camel.’ [Tabaqaat Ibn Sa‘d]

Acquisition:

Primarily, there were 3 accepted ways of acquiring Hadith: 1. Samaa‘ (where the teacher narrated the Hadith and the student listened); 2. Qir‘ah ‘ala ‘sh-Shaikh (where the student recited the Hadith before the teacher); 3. Muraasalah/ Mukaatabah/ Munaawalah (where the teacher sent, wrote or gave Hadiths to his student.

Hadith books according to authenticity:

There are 5 categories of Hadith books: 1. Where the author has undertaken to compile only Sahih (authentic) Hadiths, e.g. Sahihs of Bukhari and Muslim; 2. Where the author has undertaken to generally compile Hasan (sound) Hadiths, e.g. Sunans of Nasaa‘I, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi; 3. Where the author includes all types of Hadith – Sahih (authentic), Dha’eef (weak) and some Mawdhoo` (fabricated), e.g. Sunan Ibn Majah; 4. Where the compilation contains mainly weak Hadiths e.g. Kitab ad‘Dhu‘afaa; 5. Where the author intends to show fabricated Hadiths, e.g. Al-La-aali al-Masnoo’ah.

Composition:

In general, Hadith consists of 2 basic components: 1. Matn: the main passage of the hadith text; and 2. Isnad: a chain of narrators through which Hadith has been transmitted.

Caution:

The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said: “Whosoever spoke a deliberate lie against me, should prepare his place in hell.” [Bukhari]

Some famous Hadith scholars:

Shu`bah bin al-Hajjaaj (160H), Sufyaan bin ath-Thawree (161H), Hammaad bin Salamah (167H), Layth bin Sa`d (175H), Abdullah bin al-Mubaarak (181H), Wakee` bin al-Jarraah (197H), Sufyaan bin `Uyaynah (198H), Yahyaa bin Sa`eed al-Qattaan (198H), Abdur Rahman ibn Mahdi (198H), Abd `r-Razzaaq San`aani (211H), Yahyaa bin Ma`een (233H), Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi (321H).

Recommended Hadith Reading List (for English-speaking):

Ma‘ariful Hadith (M. Manzoor Nomani), Shama‘a-il ‘t-Tirmidhi (M. Zakariyya Kandhelwi), Manifestations of Truth (M. Waliuddin K. Tabrezi), Riyadh ‘s-Saliheen (Al-Imam Al-Nawawi), A Sufi Study of Hadith (M. Ashraf Ali Thanawi), Provisions for the Seekers (‘Ashiq Ilahi al-Bulandshehri), Seeratul Mustafa (M. Idris Kandhelwi), The Beauty of Prophet Muhammad PBUH (M. Yusuf Motala), Prophet of Mercy (M. A. H Ali Nadwi), The Ways of The Holy Prophet Mohammad PBUH (M. Dr. A. H. ‘Arfi), The Lives of the Sahabah (M. Yusuf Kandhelwi), The Garden of The Hadith Scholars (Sh. A. Aziz ‘d-Dihlawi) etc.

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Posted in General on 16th Sep 2020 by Our Imam | 3792 Views