Hadith: Difference between revisions

More broadly, the word "Hadith" refers to the statements and actions of Muhammad as well as his [[companions]]. In the Shi'ite tradition, the term "Hadith" extends to include the statements and actions of the ''ahl al-bayt'' (Muhammad's descendants through Fatima, as well as the twelve Imams).

Though the authenticity of ''any'' of the Hadith has come under increasing scrutiny in modern times (in light of scholarship on the reliability of oral traditions, virtually unending political conflicts after Muhammad's death, and, not infrequently, clear cases of hadith fabrication), the early scholars of Islam responsible for the transcription of the hadith did themselves employ a seemingly sophisticated method of verification that relied on the plausibility of: the "chains" of transmission (or ''asaneed;'' sing. ''isnad'') allegedly connecting the hadith back to the prophet, the reliability of the narrators' morals and memory, and, indeed, the ''matn'', or text, of the hadith itself (that is, the plausibility of the prophet actually having said/done what the report attests to).

Despite this apparent rigor, the hadith would ultimately be compiled along sectarian, political, and polemical lines, generally with narrations supporting the compiling group's point of view (matn-based analysis playing no small part in this outcome). Today, [[Sunnis]] and [[Shi'ites]] have separate collections of hadiths. That the meaning of "hadith" extended to include the sayings and doings of Muhammad's companions, many of whom would be deeply embroiled in the political turmoil that would follow Muhammad's death (prominently, [[Ali]] and [[Aisha]]), only facilitated the splitting of the tradition.

Collections of hadith, unlike the Qur'an, are generally grouped topically, chronologically, or by the companion who is alleged to have narrated them (this last type of organization within a collection of hadith renders the work a ''musnad'', such as the ''Musnad'' ''of Imam Ahmad'').<ref>A. C. Brown, ''Hadith: an Introduction'', 2009</ref>

{{Quote|{{Quran|4|80}}|'''He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah''': But if any turn away, We have not sent thee to watch over their (evil deeds).}}

The word '[[Sunni]]' comes from the word 'Sunnah', and most of the world's Muslims (as many as 80-90%)<ref name="rl"></ref><ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/295507/Islam Islām] - Encyclopædia Britannica (2010)</ref><ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/574006/Sunnite Sunnite] - Encyclopædia Britannica (2010)</ref><ref name="pew">[http://pewforum.org/Muslim/Mapping-the-Global-Muslim-Population%286%29.aspx Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population] - Pew Research Center, October 7, 2009</ref><ref name="pew2">Tracy Miller - [http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population] - Pew Research Center, October 2009</ref> follow this Sunni form of Islam. There are certain Hadith collections considered by most Sunnis to be trustworthy and these are commonly known as the ''Authentic Six''. Only two of them, however, are considered entirely authentic ([[sahih]]), and these are [[Sahih Bukhari|Bukhari]] and Muslim. These collections are second only to the Qur'an in authority. The others are from Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah. In strength, Malik's Muwatta' is placed just below the two Sahihs, but is not generally included among the authentic six.<ref>[http://www.abc.se/~m9783/n/vih_e.html Various Issues About Hadiths] - by Sh. G. F. Haddad</ref>

*[{{Compendium-of-muslim-texts-base-url}}/hadith/bukhari/ Sahih Bukhari]

{{Hub4|Hadith|Hadith}}

==References==