Back Hadih ACE Hadit Afrikaans Hadith ALS ሀዲስ Amharic الحديث النبوي Arabic حديث نبوى ARZ হাদিছ Assamese Ḥadiz AST Hədis Azerbaijani حدیث AZB
Hadith[b] refers to the Islamic oral anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the prophet Muhammad that survive in the historical works of writers from the second and third centuries of the Muslim era (c. 700−1000 CE). Each hadith is associated with a chain of narrators (isnad)—a lineage of people who reportedly heard and repeated the hadith from which the source of the hadith can be traced.[4] Beginning one or two centuries after Muhammad's death, Islamic scholars, known as muhaddiths, compiled hadith into distinct collections. Hadith are widely respected in mainstream Islamic thought, serving as a foundation for Sharia (Islamic law) and religious guidance. The study of hadith is a central discipline in Islam, known as the hadith sciences, and is also examined in the contemporary historiographical field of hadith studies.
| Part of a series on |
| Hadith |
|---|
 |
 Islam portal • Category |
Ḥadīth is the Arabic word for 'things' like a 'report' or an 'account [of an event]'.[3][5][6]: 471 For many Muslims, the authority of hadith is a source for religious and moral guidance known as Sunnah, which ranks second only to that of the Quran in authority[7] (which Muslims hold to be the word of God revealed to Muhammad). While the Quran contains relatively few verses directly addressing law, hadith elaborate on various aspects of life, including religious obligations such as the act of ghusl and wudu (ablutions for salat prayer),[8] the correct forms of salutations or adab,[9] morality, and ethics such as kindness toward slaves.[10] Consequently, for many Muslims, the majority of Sharia rules derive from hadith rather than the Quran.[11][Note 1]
Among scholars of Sunni Islam, the term hadith may include not only the words, advice, and actions of Muhammad but also those of his companions.[13][14] In Shia Islam, hadith focus on the teachings and actions of Muhammad and his family, including the Ahl al-Bayt (the Twelve Imams and Fatima, Muhammad’s daughter).[15]
Unlike the Quran, which all Muslims believe to be divine revelation, not all Muslims regard hadith as equally authoritative. Scholars have categorized hadith based on their reliability, sorting them into classifications such as sahih ('authentic'), hasan ('good'), and da'if ('weak').[16] Differences in classification have led to variations in practices among the different Islamic schools and branches.[17]
A minority of Muslims, such as Quranists, reject the authority of hadith entirely, asserting that Islamic guidance should rely solely on the Quran. They argue that many hadith are fabrications (pseudepigrapha) from the 8th and 9th centuries, falsely attributed to Muhammad.[18][19] Historically, sects such as the Kharijites and Mu'tazilites also rejected aspects of hadith authority.[20][21]
The authentication of hadith became a significant discipline, focusing on the isnad (chain of narrators) and matn (main text of the report).[22][23][24][25][26] This process aimed to address contradictions and questionable statements within certain narrations.[27] Despite these efforts, some Sunni jurists historically used unreliable hadith for non-core areas of law.[28]
| Part of a series on |
| Muhammad |
|---|
Western scholars participating in the field of hadith studies are generally skeptical of the value of hadith for understanding the true historical Muhammad, even those considered sahih by Muslim scholars. Reasons for skepticism include the late compilation of hadith (often centuries after Muhammad’s death), difficulties in verifying chains of transmission, the prevalence of hadith fabrication, and doubts about the traditional methods of hadith authentication. This skepticism extends even to hadith classified as sahih by Muslim scholars, as such narrations may still reflect later historical or theological concerns rather than the authentic teachings of Muhammad.[4][29]
- ^ "hadith". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ "Hadith". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ^ a b Brown 2009, p. 3.
- ^ a b Brown, Daniel W. (2 January 2020), Brown, Daniel W. (ed.), "Western Hadith Studies", The Wiley Blackwell Concise Companion to the Hadith (1 ed.), Wiley, pp. 39–56, doi:10.1002/9781118638477.ch2, ISBN 978-1-118-63851-4, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "Hans Wehr English&Arabic Dictionary".
- ^ Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi (26 March 2016). The Laws of Islam (PDF). Enlight Press. ISBN 978-0994240989. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
- ^ "Hadith". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ An-Nawawi, Riyadh As-Salihin, 1975: p.203
- ^ An-Nawawi, Riyadh As-Salihin, 1975: p.168
- ^ An-Nawawi, Riyadh As-Salihin, 1975: p.229
- ^ Forte, David F. (1978). "Islamic Law; the impact of Joseph Schacht" (PDF). Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review. 1: 2. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ J.A.C. Brown, Misquoting Muhammad, 2014: p.18
- ^ Motzki, Harald (2004). Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World.1. Thmpson Gale. p. 285.
- ^ Al-Bukhari, Imam (2003). Moral Teachings of Islam: Prophetic Traditions from Al-Adab Al-mufrad By Muḥammad ibn Ismāʻīl Bukhārī. Rowman Altamira. ISBN 9780759104174.
- ^ al-Fadli, Abd al-Hadi (2011). Introduction to Hadith (2nd ed.). London: ICAS Press. p. vii. ISBN 9781904063476.[permanent dead link]
- ^ The Future of Muslim Civilisation by Ziauddin Sardar, 1979, page 26.
- ^ J.A.C. Brown, Misquoting Muhammad, 2014: p.8
- ^ Aisha Y. Musa, The Qur’anists, Florida International University, accessed 22 May 2013.
- ^ Neal Robinson (2013), Islam: A Concise Introduction, Routledge, ISBN 978-0878402243, Chapter 7, pp. 85-89
- ^ Sindima, Harvey J. (2 November 2017). Major Issues in Islam: The Challenges within and Without. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7618-7017-3.
- ^ Deen, Sayyed M. (2007). Science Under Islam: Rise, Decline and Revival. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781847999429.
- ^ "Surah Al-Jumu'a, Word by word translation of verse number 2-3 (Tafsir included) | الجمعة - Quran O". qurano.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ Brown 2009, p. 4.
- ^ Brown 2009, p. 6-7.
- ^ Islahi, Amin Ahsan (1989) [transl. 2009]. Mabadi Tadabbur-i-Hadith (translated as: "Fundamentals of Hadith Interpretation") (in Urdu). Lahore: Al-Mawrid. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
H-EoIwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lewis, Bernard (1993). Islam and the West. Oxford University Press. p. 44. ISBN 9780198023937. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
hadith.
- ^ Brown, Jonathan (2011). "Even If It's Not True It's True: Using Unreliable Hadīths in Sunni Islam". Islamic Law and Society. 18 (1): 1–52. doi:10.1163/156851910x517056. ISSN 0928-9380.
- ^ Little 2024, p. 163.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page).