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Hadith: Difference between revisions
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{{QualityScore|Lead=1|Structure=2|Content=2|Language=2|References=2}} | {{QualityScore|Lead=1|Structure=2|Content=2|Language=2|References=2}}'''Hadith''' (الحديث; pl. ''ahadith'') literally translates to mean "talk", but is most commonly used as an Islamic term that refers to any, orally-transmitted account of [[Muhammad]]'s life, wherein Muhammad does, says, or tacitly (that is, silently) approves of something. The hadiths, passed down orally before being written down, for the most part, roughly 200 years after [[Muhammad's Death|Muhammad's death]], are second in their religious authority only to the [[Qur'an]] and, since the collections of hadith are far, far vaster (and more detailed) than the (at times vague) Qur'an, they form the basis for the great majority of [[Islamic law]] and the [[Sunnah]]. Indeed, even the details regarding the [[Five Pillars of Islam]] are found only in the hadith (the Qur'an, focused more on matters of belief, simply mentions these rituals every once in a while without providing anything in the way of clear details). | ||
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). | |||
== Compilation in writing == | |||
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. | |||
While circumstances surrounding and preceding the compilation of the hadith cast the entire corpus in a dubious light, the hadith cannot be viewed as entirely reliable or unreliable, as even hadith scholars themselves differentiate(d) between what they grade(d) as [[Sahih|s''ahih'']] (authentic), ''hasan'' (good), ''da'if'' (weak) and [[List of Fabricated Hadith|''mawdu''' (fabricated hadith)]]. Consequently, even from an Islamic standpoint, the vast, vast, majority of hadith floating around prior to the compilation of the hadith are considered unreliable. Most famously, the Sunni scholars Imam Bukhari (d. 870) and Imam Muslim (d. 875) are said to have sifted through hundreds of thousands of narrations to ultimately decide only a a few thousand were truly reliable. Slightly earlier collections of hadith do exist, famously the collections of Imam Malik (d. 795) and Imam Ibn Hanbal (d. 855), but these are not considered as altogether reliable (even if individual traditions within these works are reliable) as the collections of Bukhari and Muslim. | |||
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> | |||
== Reference in the Qur'an == | |||
{{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).}} | {{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).}} | ||
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In [[Shiite|Shi'ite]] Islam (approx 10-20% of the world's Muslim population)<ref name="rl">[http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islamic_sects.htm Comparison of Sunni and Shia Islam] - ReligionFacts</ref><ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540503/Shiite Shīʿite] - Encyclopædia Britannica Online (2010)</ref><ref name="pew"></ref><ref name="pew2"></ref> they have their own collections and are more particular in regards to the Hadith narrations they will accept. If a narrator was not a member of the Ahl al-Bayt (Muhammad's household) or one of their supporters, then the narration is typically rejected. For example, they reject narrations from Abu Huraira. Al-Kafi is considered the most reliable collection of Shi'ite hadith.<ref>[http://www.ahya.org/amm/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=72 Al Kafi - The Bukhari of Shi'ism] - AHYA</ref> | In [[Shiite|Shi'ite]] Islam (approx 10-20% of the world's Muslim population)<ref name="rl">[http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islamic_sects.htm Comparison of Sunni and Shia Islam] - ReligionFacts</ref><ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540503/Shiite Shīʿite] - Encyclopædia Britannica Online (2010)</ref><ref name="pew"></ref><ref name="pew2"></ref> they have their own collections and are more particular in regards to the Hadith narrations they will accept. If a narrator was not a member of the Ahl al-Bayt (Muhammad's household) or one of their supporters, then the narration is typically rejected. For example, they reject narrations from Abu Huraira. Al-Kafi is considered the most reliable collection of Shi'ite hadith.<ref>[http://www.ahya.org/amm/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=72 Al Kafi - The Bukhari of Shi'ism] - AHYA</ref> | ||
==Qur'anist (Submitters, Reformists, etc.)== | ==Qur'anist ("Submitters", "Reformists", etc.)== | ||
This minority group rejects the Hadith altogether and are classed as heretics by mainstream Islam. This "Qur'an-only" approach to the Islamic faith is not without [[Qur'an Only Islam - Why it is Not Possible|its criticisms]]. | This minority group rejects the Hadith altogether and are classed as heretics by mainstream Islam. This "Qur'an-only" approach to the Islamic faith is not without [[Qur'an Only Islam - Why it is Not Possible|its criticisms]], as in the absence of hadith, much of Islamic ritual and religious history lacks basis. | ||
{{Core Scripture}} | {{Core Scripture}} | ||