· SunnahSunnah has several meanings depending on the area of study however the meaning is generally accepted to be, whatever was reported that the Prophet said, did, or approved.
· Hadith - (plural – ahadith) is a piece of information or a story. In Islam it is a narrative record of the sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad.
After the Quran, Sunnah or Hadith[1] is the second source from which the teachings and laws of Islam are drawn. The Sunnah details all aspects of a Muslim’s life including prayer, fasting, Hajj, zakah, marriage, divorce, child custody, war, and peace. Someone who embraced Islam then, just as today, is in need of Quran and Sunnah. Just as a Muslim is required to accept and follow the Quran, a Muslim is bound to accept and act on the hadith of the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The following lesson is an introduction to the collection of hadith. It does not cover all aspects of hadith preservation. The emphasis is primarily to show hadith were written and memorized from the time of the Prophet and to highlight some of the efforts of early Muslims in preserving and transmitting the teachings of the Prophet.
Divine Preservation of Sunnah
Allah, the Exalted, says in the Quran
Indeed, it is We who sent down the reminder and indeed, We will be its guardian.
Quran 15:9
In this verse ‘reminder’ refers to everything Allah revealed, both the Quran and Sunnah. Allah is promising to protect the Quran and the Sunnah. And it makes sense. The Quran is Allah’s final revelation and Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, is Allah’s final prophet. Allah commands Muslims to follow the Sunnah in the Quran as we have seen above. If the Sunnah were not preserved, Allah would be ordering us to do something impossible: follow the Sunnah that either has not been preserved or doesn’t exist! Since, this would contradict divine justice, Allah must have preserved the Sunnah. As we will see in these lessons, Allah, through human beings used various means by which He preserved the Sunnah.
First Stage in Collection of Hadith
Transmission of Hadith during the Prophet's Lifetime
The transmission of the practices and sayings of the Prophet from one person to another took place in written and oral form during his lifetime. In fact, the Prophet himself used to give instructions with regard to the transmission of what he taught. There is strong historical evidence that whenever a people embraced Islam, the Prophet used to send to them one or more of his companions who not only taught them the Quran, but also explained to them how the injunctions of the Book were carried out in practice, that is Sunnah.
When a deputation of the Rabi'a came to him in the early days of Medina, the Prophet concluded his instructions to them with the words: “Remember this and report it to those whom you have left behind.”[2] He instructed in another case:
Go back to your people and teach them these things.
Saheeh Al-Bukhari
It is also recorded that people would come to the Prophet and demand teachers who could teach them the Quran and the Sunnah:
Send us men to teach us the Quran and the Sunnah
Saheeh Muslim
On the occasion of the pilgrimage, the Prophet after enjoining on the Muslims the duty of holding each other's life, property and honor sacred, added:
He who is present here should carry this message to him who is absent
Saheeh Al-Bukhari
Naturally, the companions of the Prophet were fully aware that his Sunnah was to be followed as the injunction to obey the Prophet in all matters was found in the Quran as well. When Mu'adh ibn Jabal was appointed governor of Yemen by the Prophet, and was asked as to how he would judge cases, his reply was “by the Book of Allah.” Asked again if he did not find a direction in the Book of God, he replied,
by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah.
Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud
The Sunnah was therefore recognized as affording guidance in religious matters in the life-time of the Prophet. He used to teach his Sunnah primarily in three ways:
(1) Verbal Teaching: The Prophet himself was the teacher of his Sunnah. To facilitate memorization and understanding for his companions, he used to repeat important things thrice. After teaching his Companions he used to listen to what they had learnt. Visitors from other tribes were accommodated by the people of Medina to instruct them in the Quran and the Sunnah.
(2) Dictation to scribes: The Prophet is estimated to have 45 scribes who wrote for him extensively. He sent letters to kings, rulers, tribal leaders, and Muslim governors. Some of them contained legal matters like zakah, taxation, and forms of worship. The Prophet dictated to several companions like Ali ibn abi Talib, Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-Aas, and ordered that a copy of his farewell Khutba be given to Abu Shah from Yemen.
(3) Practical demonstration: The Prophet taught the method of ablution, prayers, fasting, and pilgrimage. In every matter of life, the Prophet gave practical lessons with clear instructions to follow his practice. He said, ‘Pray as you see me pray’, and ‘learn from me the rituals of Hajj pilgrimage.’ He established schools, directed them to diffuse knowledge, urged them to teach and learn by telling them the rewards for the teachers and the students.
Likewise, the companions used all three methods of learning applied by the Prophet in teaching his Sunnah:
(a) Memorization: The companions used to listen to every word of the Prophet with utmost attention. They learnt the Quran and the hadith from the Prophet in the mosque. When the Prophet went away for any reason, they started to recollect what they had learned. Anas bin Malik, the servant of the Prophet, said:
“We sat with the Prophet, maybe sixty persons in number, and the Prophet taught them hadith. Later on when he went out for any necessity, we used to memorize it amongst us, when we departed it was as if it was cultivated in our hearts.”[3]
Since it was not possible for all of them to attend the study circles of the Prophet, the ones who were absent would learn from the ones who were present. Some of them came to an agreement with each other to attend the circle of the prophet in shifts, as Umar did with his neighbor. Sulait, one of the companions of the Prophet, was given some land by the Prophet. His habit was to stay there for some time, and then come back to Medina to learn what the Prophet had taught in his absence. He used to be so embarrassed not to have attended the lessons of the prophet, that he requested the Prophet that the land be taken back from him as it prevented him from attending the study circles of the Prophet.[4]
(b) Recording: The Companions learned the hadith by putting it in writing as well. The first example of the companions writing the hadith of the Prophet is Sahifah of Hummam ibn Munabbih discussed in a subsequent lesson. The second example is As-Sahifah As-Sadiqah, a written compilation of several hundred hadith that belonged to the Companion Abdullah bin ‘Amr ibn Al-As. Abdullah said,
“I asked the Messenger of Allah for permission to record what I heard from him and he permitted me and I recorded it.”[5]
Imam Ahmad’s Musnad has 626 hadith from Abdullah. Bukhari singularly recorded 8 and Muslim recorded 20, 7 of which they have in common.
(c) Practicing: The Companions used to put into practice whatever they memorized or wrote. It is sufficient to note that Ibn Umar took eight years to learn Surah Al-Baqara.
Companions Who Preserved Sunnah
All the companions of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not have an opportunity or an equal interest in being committed to preserving the Sunnah. Everyone had to work for his living, while the defense of the Muslim community against overwhelming odds had placed an additional burden on most of them. There was, however, a party of companions known as Ashab-us-Suffa who lived in the Mosque itself, and who were specially prepared for the teaching of religion to tribes outside Medina. The most famous of these was Abu Hurairah who would stick to the Prophet’s company at all costs, and memorize what the Prophet said or did. His efforts were directed towards the preservation of hadith. He himself is reported to have said once:
“You say Abu Hurairah is profuse in narrating hadith from the Prophet, and you say, how is it that the Muhajirin (Emigrants) and the Ansar (Helpers) do not narrate hadith from the Prophet like Abu Hurairah. The truth is that our brethren from among the Emigrants were occupied in transacting business in the market, while I used to remain with the Prophet having filled my stomach, so I was present when they were absent and I remembered what they forgot. Our brethren from among the Helpers were occupied with work in their lands, and I was a poor man from among the poor inmates of the Suffa, so I retained in memory what they forgot.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Aisha, the Prophet’s wife, was also one of those who were cardinal in preserving the Sunnah of the Prophet, especially the Prophet’s family life. She had a sharp memory, and was in addition gifted with a clear understanding. There is a report about her according to which “she never heard anything she did not recognize but she questioned about it again.”[1] In other words, she did not accept anything until she was fully satisfied.
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas are two other companions who were specially engaged in the work of preserving and transmitting the knowledge of the Quran and the hadith, as was ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr who was in the habit of writing sayings of the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him. Besides those who were specially engaged in this work, every companion of the Prophet tried to preserve such of his words and deeds as came to his knowledge. ‘Umar had made arrangements with a neighbor of his to be in the company of the Prophet on alternate days, so that the one reported to the other what happened in his absence.
Writing of Hadith in Prophet’s Lifetime
The popular idea among some people that the hadith was not written down until two hundred years after the Prophet is falsified by facts. It is a gross error to think the entire hadith of the Prophet remained an oral tradition until it was penned down a few centuries later. The preservation of what the Prophet did or said was not an afterthought on the part of the Muslims. The companions of the Prophet, while translating into practice most of his sayings also preserved them in writing in addition to their memory. They were conscious of the fact that his Sunnah must be preserved for future generations. Hence they not only preserved it in memory but resorted to pen and ink as well. Two examples discussed earlier were that of Sahifah of Hummam ibn Munabbih and As-Sahifah As-Sadiqah.
Abu Hurairah tells us that when one of the Ansar complained to the Prophet of his inability to preserve in his memory what he heard from him, the Prophet’s reply was that he should seek the help of his right hand, that is, should write them down.
Another well-known report is from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr: “I used to write everything that I heard from the Prophet, intending to commit it to memory. (On some people taking objection to this) I spoke about it to the Prophet,
who said
Write down, for I only speak the truth
Abu Daud
In the year of the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet delivered a sermon on the occasion of a man being killed by way of retaliation for some old grievance.
When the sermon was finished, a man from among the people of Yemen came forward and requested the Prophet to have the same written down for him, and the Prophet gave orders to that effect.
Saheeh Al-Bukhari
Second Stage in Collection of Hadith
With the death of the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, the work of the preservation of Sunnah and of the collection of hadith entered the second stage.
The Companions imparted knowledge because they felt that people needed it, and were very well aware of the sin of hiding knowledge. Hence, they dedicated much of their time to teaching regularly. To the companions of the Prophet, the religion which he had brought was a priceless jewel; it was a thing which they valued above everything else in the world. For its sake they had given up their relations, their business and their very homes; to defend it they had laid down their very lives; to carry this divine blessing, this greatest gift of God, to other people was the very object of their lives. Hence a dissemination of its knowledge was their first and foremost concern. In addition to this, the Prophet had laid the duty, on those who saw him and listened to his words, of carrying what they saw and heard to those who came after him. Indeed they were faithful to the great charge which was laid on them.
After the death of the Prophet, his Companions took the mission of carrying the message of Islam to the farthest corners of the world. Whichever direction they went, and to whichever country they went, they carried the Quran and the Sunnah. As a result, within a quarter of a century after the noble Prophet’s death, the Companions carried the light of Islam to Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Libya. Consequently, those Companions carried the knowledge of the Sunnah with them. Hence, not all the knowledge of Sunnah remained in Medina. Some Companions who went to Iraq (like Abdullah ibn Masud) or Egypt (like ‘Amr Ibn al-Aas) took the knowledge of the Sunnah with him. The Companions entrusted the knowledge of Sunnah to their students before their death.
Everyone of them, even if he had the knowledge of one incident relating to the Prophet’s life, deemed it his duty to deliver it to others. Individuals such as Abu Hurairah, Aisha, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, Anas ibn Malik and many others who had made the preservation of Sunnah the purpose of their lives, had become focal agents to whom people resorted from different quarters of the Islamic world as a source for their knowledge of the Prophet and his religion.
Abu Hurairah alone had eight hundred disciples. Aisha’s house as well was resorted to by hundreds of ardent pupils. The reputation of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas was equally great, and, despite his young age, he had a foremost place among the counselors of ‘Umar on account of his knowledge of the Quran and the Sunnah. Thus a large number of the companions of the Prophet became the mediums of the dissemination for religious learning.
The zeal of the new generation for the possession of religious knowledge was such that students would travel from one place to another to complete their knowledge of the Sunnah and verify the hadith of the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him. Some of them would travel long distances to obtain first-hand information about a single hadith. For instance, Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah traveled from Medina to Syria for the sake of one hadith. It was a month’s journey, as Jabir himself states.[1] Another Companion, Abu Ayoub, traveled all the way to Egypt to ask Uqba bin Amr about a certain hadith. He told Uqba that only he and Uqba were left who had heard that particular hadith from the Prophet. After hearing the hadith, his business was completed in Egypt and he returned to Medina. Saeed ibn Musayyab is reported to have said that he used to travel for days and nights in search of a single hadith. Another companion of the Prophet is said to have undertaken a journey to Egypt for the sake of one hadith. The zeal of the next generation was equally great. Abul ‘Aliya is reported to have said: “We heard of a hadith about the Prophet, but we were not satisfied until we went to the companion concerned in person and heard it from him directly.”
Writing of Hadith: Sahifah of Hammam ibn Munabbih
It is one of the earliest collections of hadith. The written collection of hadith of the Companion Abu Hurairah was dictated to his student Hammam. Abu Hurairah himself used to divide the night into 3 parts: one third for sleep, one third for prayer, and one third for recollection of the hadith of the Prophet. Since Abu Hurairah died some 48 years after the Prophet (58 A.H.) this Sahifah must have been dictated to Hummam sometime before that. Hammam died in 101 A.H. Hammam read these hadith to his student Ma’mar (d. 113 A.H.). Ma’mar read it to Abdur-Razzaq ibn Hammam, who transmitted it to two of his students: Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Yusuf al-Sulami.
Imam Ahmad incorporated this entire work, except two hadith in his Musnad in almost exactly the same order as they were recorded in Sahifah, whereas Yusuf al-Sulami continued to pass on the entire work without amalgamating it into a larger one. It was continually passed on until the 9th century, which is the date of the Berlin manuscript, one of the 4 manuscripts of this work that still exist today.
Imam Ahmad’s Musnad is arranged according to the Companion who narrated the hadith, it is very easy to find all the hadith from Hammam on the authority of Abu Hurairah. Other books, where the hadith are arranged according to fiqh topics, also incorporate a great deal of the Sahifa. Out of the 137 hadith in the Sahifa of Hammam:
29 are recorded by both Bukhari and Muslim,
22 others are recorded by Bukhari only,
48 others are recorded by Muslim only.
So 99 out of 137 hadith can be found in Bukhari and Muslim alone. When one studies the different collections of hadith that have been published one sees that the meanings - actually the wordings - of the hadith have not been changed from the time of Abu Hurairah to the time of Al-Bukhari (194-256 A.H.). Hamidullah comments:
“Supposing Al-Bukhari cites a Hadith on the authority of the above chain of sources (Ahmad - Abdur-Razzak - Mamar - Hammam - Abu Hurairah). So long as these older sources were not available, a skeptic was certainly entitled to harbor doubts and say that perhaps Al-Bukhari had not told the truth, but simply forged either the chain or the contents of both. But now that all the earlier works are at our disposal, there is no possibility of imagining that Al-Bukhari has mentioned anything by way of forging it, or narrating anything heard from forgers... with the discovery in recent times of these earlier works, it is possible for us to verify the truthfulness of each. One is forced to recognize them all as solidly genuine since these traditions have been transmitted not only by Abu Hurairah, but also, independently of him, by other companions of the Prophet, and in each case the chain or isnad has been different. Even after the lapse of more than 13 centuries, there has not crept in a single alteration in the text of the collection. If not for the risk of boring the reader, it would have been easy to show in proper detail, how, in addition to Abu Hurairah, each of the traditions contained in the sahifah of Hammam, has been related by various other Companions. These traditions could never have been forged in the 3rd or 4th century.”[2]
Third Stage in Collection of Hadith
With the passing away of the generation that had seen and heard the Prophet directly, the work of the collection of hadith entered a third stage. Since the Companions had traveled far in the Islamic world and entrusted the knowledge of Sunnah to their students before their death there were no more reports to be searched for from different persons, and the whole of the hadith accumulation was now the property of the different teachers who taught at different centers. But in the second stage, hadith had passed from individual possession into public possession, and therefore the whole body of accumulated hadith could be learned in the third stage by referring to different centers instead of searching it from different individuals.
Umar ibn Abdulaziz, the Umayyad Caliph, who ruled towards the close of the first century of Hijrah, was the first man who issued definite orders to the effect that written collections of hadith should be made. Umar ibn Abdulaziz wrote to Abu Bakr ibn Hazm:
“See whatever saying of the Prophet can be found, and write it down, for I fear the loss of knowledge and the disappearance of the learned men; and do not accept anything but the hadith of the Prophet; and people should make knowledge public and should sit in companies so that he who does not know should come to know, for knowledge does not disappear until it is concealed from the public.”[1]
Abu Bakr ibn Hazm was the Caliph’s governor at Medina, and there is evidence that similar letters were written to other centers. Before the middle of the second century, written collections of hadith saw the light of the day. Hundreds of students of hadith were engaged in the work of learning it in different centers. Every scholar of hadith traveled in search of hadith. Khateeb al-Baghdadi, a famous classical scholar, has written an entire work, Ar-Rihlah fi Talab al-Hadith, or Traveling in Search of Hadith. What is interesting is that the work talks about scholars who traveled in search of just one hadith! By far the most important collection of the era is the Muwatta of Imam Malik which has recently been translated into English.
Fourth Stage in Collection of Hadith
The work of the collection of hadith was brought to completion in the third century of Hijrah. Carefully compiled books of hadith from this era have reached us in their complete form. It was then that three kinds of collections of hadith were made: Musnad, Jami’, and Sunan. The Musnad was the earlier type and the Jami’ the later. The collections of hadith known as Musnads were arranged, not according to the subject matter of the hadith, but under the name of the companion on whose final authority the hadith rested. The most important of the works of this class is the Musnad of Imam Ahmad Hanbal which contains about thirty thousand narrations. Ahmad was born in 164 A.H. and died in 241 A.H. and is one of the greatest scholars in the history of Islam. His collection, however, contains reports of all sorts. The Jami’ not only arranges reports according to the subject matter, but is also more critical. Six books are recognized generally under this heading, being the collections made by Muhammad ibn Isma’il, commonly known as Al-Bukhari (d. 256 A.H.), Muslim (d. 261 A.H.), Abu Dawud (d. 275 A.H.). Al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 A.H.), Ibn Maja (d. 283 A.H.) and Al-Nasa’i (d. 303 A. H.). These books classified reports according to subject matter, making hadith easy for reference for the scholars of Islam. All these books have reached us as written by their original authors. Some of the major works have been translated into English.
Methods of Preserving Hadith
Throughout the stages of hadith collection, eight methods were utilized in preserving hadith. Only the first and second will be discussed briefly below:
(1) Sama’: that is reading by the teacher to the students.
(2) ‘Ard: reading by the students to the teachers.
(3) Ijazah: to permit someone to transmit the hadith or book on the authority of the scholar without reading by any one.
(4) Munawalah: to hand someone the written material to transmit.
(5) Kitabah: to write hadith for someone.
(6) I’lam: to inform someone that informer has permission to transmit certain material.
(7) Wasiyah: to entrust someone his books.
(8) Wajadah: to find some books or hadith written by someone just as the Christian discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, or the find of the oldest manuscript of the New Testament with some monks in Mt. Sinai by Tischendorf. At no stage did Muslim scholars recognize this to be a reliable method of transmission.
In the period of the Companions only the first method was used. The students used to stay with their teachers, serve them, and learn from them. A little later, the most common methods were the first and second. Since wajadah was not recognized by the scholars, any method other than the seven listed above was not accepted.
Sama included oral recitation, reading from books, questions and answers, and dictation. The practice of oral recitation of hadith by the teacher began to decline from the second half of the second century, although it persisted for a long time. The students were attached to one scholar for a long period of time, until they were considered authorities on the hadith of their teacher. Only a few hadith, about four or five were discussed in one lesson. Reading by the teacher from his own books was preferred. Reading by the teacher from the student’s book was also done. This was a way to test the teacher to see if he had memorized his hadith properly. They would insert hadith into the hadith they had learned from their teacher, and hand the book to the teacher to read, to find out if he had a grip on his stuff. Those who failed to recognize the additional material were denounced and deemed untrustworthy.
‘Ard was the most common practice from the beginning of the second century. Either copies were provided by the teachers, or made by the students from the original. They made a circular mark after every hadith. Whenever the student read the hadith to his teacher, he would make a mark in the circle to indicate that the hadith had been read to the teacher. This was necessary because even though the student knew the hadith through books, he was not allowed to use it in teaching it to others or for his own compilation until he had obtained it through proper means. Otherwise, he would be called hadith thief, sariq al-hadith.
A regular record was kept and after the complete book was read, a note was written by the teacher or one of the famous scholars attending the classes. These gave details of attendance, like who listened to the complete book, who joined partly, what part they read, and what part they missed, giving dates and places. The book was usually signed by the teacher or a famous attending scholar, to indicate that no further additions can be made to the book.
Conclusion
As a result of tremendous and meticulous efforts of early Muslims the Sunnah and hadith of the Prophet has been preserved accurately and reliably for us. Since Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the last prophet sent by Allah to humanity, it only makes sense that his teachings be preserved completely. If his teachings were not preserved, another prophet would be necessary to find out what Allah’s religion is and how Allah has to be obeyed. The teachings of Prophet Muhammad will be preserved till the Day of Judgment and therefore no more prophets will appear. It is upon us to learn and practice Islam as Prophet Muhammad taught correctly and fully to earn salvation.
It might seem to the new Muslim that the Quran is a sufficient guide for the believer, requiring only personal study and interpretation to implement its teaching and put it into practice. However, doing so may lead one into the same kind of errors that non prophetic interpreters of the Bible propagated to their congregations. To truly appreciate the message of the Quran, one has to study the life, actions and words of the Prophet who brought it to us and exemplified it. Thus Muslims kept records of the doings and sayings of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, which are called ‘Hadith’ and instituted critical examination of the means by which they have come down to us. If the hadith is found to be strong, it is considered a Sunnah.
The Meaning of Sunnah
Sunnah, in general, refers to the teachings and the way of life of Prophet Muhammad. More specifically, it means what has been authentically related to us from Prophet Muhammad, other than the Quran: his statements, actions, and tacit approvals or permission (of his companions’ statements or actions).
The Meaning of Hadith
Hadith is any report of Prophet Muhammad’s statements, actions, tacit approvals, manners, or physical characteristics. A hadith consists of two parts:
(a) the chain of narrators.
(b) the text
To be considered a true report of the Prophet’s speech or actions, both the text and chain of narrators must meet strict conditions. We will learn more about them in subsequent levels.
Hadith & Sunnah
Sunnah is contained in the reports that have come to us from the Prophet, that is, the hadith literature. We find the Sunnah of the Prophet in the books of hadith. The statements, actions, tacit approvals, physical description, and manners of Prophet Muhammad are all contained in books of hadith. Nothing of importance from his life is missing. A Muslim can know how he prayed, fasted, and lived at home and with his companions. Such a complete and accurate record is not available for any other historical figure.
Importance of the Sunnah
The Quran tells us how important the Sunnah is:
(1) Obeying the Prophet is obeying Allah.
“He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah; but those who turn away – We have not sent you over them as a guardian.” (Quran 4:80)
(2) Divine command to obey the Prophet and warning against disobeying him.
“And obey Allah and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy.” (Quran 3:132)
“And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be admitted by Him to gardens (in Paradise) under which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein; and that is the great attainment.” (Quran 4:13)
“And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger – then indeed, for him is the fire of Hell; they will abide therein forever.” (Quran 72:23)
“O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds.” (Quran 47:33)
(3) Accepting decisions of the Prophet is part of faith.
“But no, by your Lord, they will not (truly) believe until they make you, (O Muhammad), judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves, and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in (full, willing) submission.” (Quran 4:65)
(4) Following the Messenger earns divine love and forgiveness.
“Say, (O Muhammad!) ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.’” (Quran 3:31)
(5) The Quran calls Sunnah hikmah or ‘wisdom.’ Sunnah was also revealed by Allah like the Quran.
Allah revealed the Quran and the Sunnah:
“And Allah has revealed to you the Book (Quran) and hikmah (Sunnah).” (Quran 4:113)
Allah counts it His favor that He revealed the Quran and Sunnah:
“And remember the favor of Allah upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book (Quran) and hikmah (Sunnah).” (Quran 2:231)
The Prophet Muhammad taught the Quran and Sunnah:
“…and teaches them the Book (Quran) and hikmah (Sunnah)…” (Quran 3:164)
Divine Preservation of Sunnah
Allah says in the Quran:
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the reminder, and indeed We will be its guardian.” (Quran 15:9)
In this verse ‘reminder’ refers to everything Allah revealed, both the Quran and Sunnah. Allah promises to protect the Quran and the Sunnah, and it makes sense. The Quran is Allah’s final revelation and Prophet Muhammad is Allah’s final prophet. Allah commands Muslims to follow the Sunnah in the Quran as we have seen above. If the Sunnah were not preserved, Allah would not be ordering us to do something impossible, i-e to follow the Sunnah that either has not been preserved or does not exist! Since such an expectation contradicts divine justice, Allah must have preserved the Sunnah. As we will see, Allah, through human beings, used various means by which He preserved the Sunnah.
The Most Important Books of Hadith
A beginner must be aware of the most important books of hadith that contain the Prophet’s Sunnah.
(1) Saheeh Al-Bukhari
This book was written by Imam Al-Bukhari (810 - 870 CE). It is considered to be the most authentic and reliable book after the Quran. Saheeh Al-Bukhari has 2, 602 unrepeated hadith in it. It has been translated into English by Dr. Muhsin Khan and was first published in 1976. Hadith from Saheeh Al-Bukhari in our lessons are referenced in the footnote as ‘Saheeh Al-Bukhari.’ The translation is available here.
(2) Saheeh Muslim
Saheeh Muslim was written by Imam Muslim (817 – 875 CE). It has 3,033 hadith and is considered the most accurate book after Saheeh Al-Bukhari. It was translated into English by Abdul Hameed Siddiqui and published in 1976 with some brief, but useful commentary. Hadith from Saheeh Muslim are referenced in our lessons in the footnotes as ‘Muslim.’ The translation is available here, but without the commentary.
(3) Riyad us-Saliheen (Gardens of the Righteous)
This is a book by Imam Nawawi (1233 - 1277 CE). It is a collection of Quranic verses and hadith arranged according to topic. It has close to 1900 authentic hadith. Of all the three books, ‘Gardens of the Righteous’ is the most appropriate for a beginner. Several translations exist, but without commentary. Perhaps the most useful edition for beginners, because it is the only one with some commentary, is available for sale here. An online translation of book (without commentary) can be read here.
There are other important books which contain many authentic hadith. The most common are Abu Dawood, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah, and together with Al-Bukhari and Muslim are called, Al-Kutub Al-Sittah, or “The Six Books”. To detail all of them is outside the scope of this brief introduction to hadith literature.
A last note on reading hadith is that there is no one book which contains all hadith, rather hadith are mentioned in various books. It is of grave importance that one not make any judgments while reading hadith, as there is more than likely another hadith in another book clarifying it. Reading explanations of hadith, however, will give the reader a much better understanding of the concepts mentioned in the hadith, as the scholars who write these explanations bring together various other hadith which shed light on the one at hand. Interpreting specific hadith, like the Quran, should be restricted to those knowledgeable in religion. There are other collections, such as Riyad us-Saliheen mentioned above, which were, unlike other books of hadith, written for a general audience, and they are much easier to understand for all Muslims. Another good starting book is one called Al-Arba’oon Al-Nawawiyya, or ‘Forty Hadiths Compiled by Al-Nawawi’, which mentions some of the most important and basic hadith in Islam. An in-depth explanation may also be found here. An online translation of book (without commentary) can be read here.
