A Question I'm Ashamed to Ask...

[Cashew]

I know this is going to sound incredibly stupid to Muslims.

And I suppose it's something entirely obvious to even simple-minded non-Muslims who've learned a little about Islam.

But...in all honesty, this isn't clear in my mind.


According to normal everyday garden-variety orthodox Islam, are hadith considered the Word of God? Are they equal to Qu'ran?

Also, when we read hadith, and when they give what you might call the provenance of utterance, eg "X related that Allah's messenger said to him...", what does this really mean?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh said precisely these same words?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh did not say these precise same words, but what He said was exactly the same in content, intent, and spirit?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh said something very similar to this?

[*~IslamRulez~*]

It does not sound stupid at all. One should not be shy or ashamed to acquire Islamic knowledge. I'm pleased to see your interest in Islam. May Allah guide you, ameen.

Quran is the word of Allah (God). A hadith is a narration about the life of the Prophet :saws2: or what he approved - as opposed to his life itself, which is the Sunnah. The Sunnah is the second source of Islamic jurisprudence, the first being the Qur'an. Both sources are indispensable; one cannot practice Islam without consulting both of them.

Note: The sunnah and the hadith are synonmous.

A believer (muslim) must accept and believe in both the Quran and the hadith.

Allah says: "And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, leave it. And fear Allah: truly Allah is severe in punishment. " [Qur'an 59:7]

So if a person rejects the hadith eventhough he believes in the Quran, he's clearly disobeying Allah.

You asked if it's equal to the Quran. You must understand that the Quran was not the only revelation sent down to our Prophet Muhammad :saws2: and he never commanded us to do something out of his own desires except that it was commanded by Allah. Prophet Muhammad :saws2: was the perfect example for the mankind and we're obligated to obey him in every aspect of our lives...we cannot take one and leave the other.

Allah says in the Quran:

"Obey Allâh and the Messenger and perhaps you will be shown mercy." (3:132)

"If you obey him, you will be guided ... " (24:54)

"Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allâh ... " (4:79)

"That what the Messenger brings you and leave what he forbids you ... " (59:7)

"Whoever obeys Allâh and the Messenger is with those whom Allâh has blessed." (4:68)

"We did not send any Messenger but for him to be obeyed by the permission of Allâh." (4:63)


InshaAllah the following links will help you understand better...

http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/sunnah/0035.htm
http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/sunnah/0008.htm

As for your last question, when you read in the hadith that so-and-so said that the 'Prophet Muhammad :saws2: said,' then these were the "exact words" uttered by the Messenger of Allah.

And Allah (swt) knows best.

I hope it's clear now inshaAllah. So, when are you planning to revert to Islam? : )

[Um Abdullah]

According to normal everyday garden-variety orthodox Islam, are hadith considered the Word of God? Are they equal to Qu'ran?

the Quran is the word of Allah
and the hadith/sunnah is revelation from Allah by meaning, and the words are Prophet Muhammad's words (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)
so the Quran is revelation by word = Allah's exact words
while the sunnah is revelation by meaning, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam delivered that meaning with His words.
but it is all revelation from Allah 'azza wa jal.

Also, when we read hadith, and when they give what you might call the provenance of utterance, eg "X related that Allah's messenger said to him...", what does this really mean?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh said precisely these same words?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh did not say these precise same words, but what He said was exactly the same in content, intent, and spirit?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh said something very similar to this?

best one to answer this for you is someone who has very good knowledge of science of hadith.

an English forum has been opened in an Arabic forum for students of knowledge few days ago, but the forum is closed for updating.

when it is back open I will announce it insha ALlah.
that will be best place to ask a question like this beacuse there are students of hadith in that forum.

[Na'eemah]

In response to the question about Qur'an and hadith, reciting the Qur'an is a form of worshiping Allah swt(because its the word of Allah), but reading hadith is not. So they're not equal, but Muslims should follow both the teachings of the Quran and the sunnah (hadith)

[MG]

I know this is going to sound incredibly stupid to Muslims.

And I suppose it's something entirely obvious to even simple-minded non-Muslims who've learned a little about Islam.

But...in all honesty, this isn't clear in my mind.


According to normal everyday garden-variety orthodox Islam, are hadith considered the Word of God? Are they equal to Qu'ran?


Also, when we read hadith, and when they give what you might call the provenance of utterance, eg "X related that Allah's messenger said to him...", what does this really mean?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh said precisely these same words?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh did not say these precise same words, but what He said was exactly the same in content, intent, and spirit?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh said something very similar to this?

1) hadith is not the word of allah swt but the words of Prophet SAW, but quran and hadith go hand in hand and do not contradict each other, your cant follow one without the other.

2) as for eg: "X related that Allah's messenger said to him...", this is what we call chains of narration, i.e people who were around the prophet SAW and kept a record of the things he said or people who were related to people or knew people around the Prophet SAW, some chains of narration are labelled "weak" others "agreeable " and some are "authentic".

as for your other qustion i dont feel i have enuff knwledge to answer.

Cashew no question is a stupid question, u would be surprised the questions i ask in my islamic class , everyones at different levels and never be shy or embarrassed or ashamed to ask anything, especially if you was a muslim becos otherwise u will not get far in leraning about your deen (religion).

[RashidD]

Deleted.

[*~IslamRulez~*]

Just wanted to point out that my post above is according to my understanding of the deen (religion) so hopefully someone more knowledgeable can give you a better reply inshaAllah.

When I mentioned 'hadith' in my post, I meant the "authentic" (sahih) hadith only whereas the "weak" (daeef) hadith may or may not be true and the "fabricated" hadith is a false hadith (something made-up by someone).

[|zdihaar]

The prime sources of the religion of Islam are the Quran and the Hadith.The Quran is the word of Allah to all the Muslims. The Prophet did not have anything to do with its words; it was revealed to him as it is now read. Whilst the Quran gives the Muslims a primary rule of life, there are many matters where guidance for practical living is necessary but about which the Quran says nothing. In such cases the obvious thing was to follow the custom or usage of the Prophet (i.e. Sunnah).

There were ancient customs which could be accepted on some matters, but on matters peculiar to the religion of Islam there was the custom of earliest believers who had been the contemporaries and companions of the Prophet and who presumably would act in matters of religion according to the custom of the Prophet himself.

Eventually there came into existence traditionals which gave formal statement to what the Sunnah of the earliest Muslims was on a variety of matters. Literally, Sunnah means a way or rule or manner of acting or mode of life. In consequence of this, there arose in Islam a class of students who made it their business to investigate and hand down the minutest details concerning the life of the Prophet.

Before long, attention came to be concentrated on the Prophet, and his manner of life became in their eyes the ideal Muslim to be imitated by his followers. In other words, the Sunnah of the Prophet became a standard of living which every Muslim should aspire to reach. Certainly, who else could be a better guide for Muslims than the Prophet himself. His words and deeds, therefore, became a source of inspiration for all Muslims in all time to come.

After his death, reports of the Prophet's wonderful sayings and doings began to circulate. These sayings continued to increase from time to time as they were collected from the Sahaaba, the Companions of the Prophet and became subject to standardisation and selection.

This represented the word of the Prophet as supplemented to the word of Allah. The Hadith, in other words, is the second pillar after the Quran upon which every Muslim rests the fabric of his faith and life. The body of traditions circulated orally for some time; as indicated by the word 'Hadith', commonly used for tradition and which literally means a saying conveyed to man either through hearing or through witnessing an event. It is also used to denote "conversation" i.e. the telling of something new. The records of sayings, therefore, were called Hadith; the rest, as a whole, was called Sunnah (custom or usage). For its details the plural Sunan meaning customs was used.

The Hadith, in short, is the storerooms of the Sunnah of the Prophet[11], serving an essential need of the Muslims, be they individuals or communities. It was for this reason that they were taught by the Prophet in the following manners:

1 Verbal teaching was done by the Prophet himself respecting important things three times.[12] Then he used to listen to the Companions to make sure that they had learned them correctly.[13] Even when delegations arrived in Medina, the Prophet had charged the Medinites not only to accomodate them but to teach them the message of Islam and its practices through the Quran and the Sunnah. The Prophet used to ask them questions to find out as to how much they had learned.[14]

2 Teachings through writing was done by the Prophet through various letters and he wrote to kings, rulers, chieftains and Muslim governors. These letters contained instructions concerning zakat, taxes, forms of worship, etc.[15]

3 Teachings done by the Prophet through practical demonstration like the way how to perform ablution, how to say prayers (Salat), performing Hajj and observe fasts. His instruction in respect of the Salat was, "Pray as you see me offering prayers."

[11] For further details see M.M. Azami, Sutdies in Hadith Methodology and Literature, Indianapolis, 1977, pp.9-31.

[12] Sahih al-Bukhari, Chapter on Islam, 30.

[13] Ibid, Chapter on Wudu, 75.

[14] Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad, Cairo, 1313, vol. 4, p. 206.

[15] Hamidullah, Al-Wathaiq, al-Siyassiyah, Beirut 1968.

Abdur Rahman I. Doi, Shariah: The Islamic Law, Published A.S. Noordeen, pp. 48-49.

[|zdihaar]

Al-Hadith al-Qudsi is a special type of hadith where, although worded, according to the majority of jurists, by the Prophet unlike the Quran, the meaning or content is inspired by Allah. The normal type of hadith, on the other hand consists of statements of the Prophet himself on his own initiative and it augments the wahy.

An example of al-Hadith al-Qudsi related in the Sahih of Muslim is: "Worshippers, I have prohibited myself from being unjust and ordained that injustice is haram amongst you, so do not be unjust to each other.

The Qudsi Hadith begins in a slightly differnet manner as follows: "Said the Messenger of Allah in what is narrated by his Lord, the Almighty and Glorified ..."

or it reads as: "Said the Messenger of Allah that Almighty Allah said ..."

In the Hadith al-Qudsi, the wording is that of the Messenger of Allah while its meaning and contents are from Allah. It is Wahy in meaning without words (Wahy bil mani bidun al lafz).[18]

Hadith al-Qudsi is not to be recited in prayers.

[18] Al Qattan, Manna, Mabahith Ulum al- Quran, Riyadh, 1976 p. 26.

Abdur Rahman I. Doi, Shariah: The Islamic Law, Published A.S. Noordeen, pp. 56-57.

[Um Abdullah]

Here is the forum I was talking to you about Cashew

http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113803 (you will find info about it here, and a link for it)

[.: Anna :.]

I just skimmed the other replies a bit, sorry cnt really concentrate :banghead:
but I thnk you need to look a bit into what hadiths are made up from, ie the isnad and the matn (the chain and the main body). The chain is necessary part of the hadith, and you can see sometimes that there are differences in wording in dif narrations, and sometimes it says of rasoolallah :saw: that he either said this word or that word, where both words hav a same meaning but the narrator is not sure which he actually used...
when i go back 2 london mayb i can find u some things to read insha allah.
Also I think u could look at what are hadith qudsy because this is kind of the branch in between hadith and quraan, which bridges the gap between them if u look at it in that way

[Barracuda]

I know this is going to sound incredibly stupid to Muslims.

And I suppose it's something entirely obvious to even simple-minded non-Muslims who've learned a little about Islam.

But...in all honesty, this isn't clear in my mind.


According to normal everyday garden-variety orthodox Islam, are hadith considered the Word of God? Are they equal to Qu'ran?

Also, when we read hadith, and when they give what you might call the provenance of utterance, eg "X related that Allah's messenger said to him...", what does this really mean?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh said precisely these same words?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh did not say these precise same words, but what He said was exactly the same in content, intent, and spirit?

Does it mean that the Prophet pbuh said something very similar to this?
General Definitions

Literally
The Arabic word HADITH means ''story'' and ''new.'' In this sense Allah, Exalted and Majestic, says, ''Has the HADITH of Moses reached you.'' In this verse, the word HADITH means ''story.'' Allah also says, ''Every time a MUHDATH reminder comes to them they hear it only while they play.'' The word MUHDATH means ''new.'' There are verses in the Holy Qur'an in which the word HADITH is intended to mean the Holy Qur'an itself. For example, Allah, Exalted and Majestic, says, <Thou wouldst only, perchance fret thyself to death, following after them, in grief, if they believe not in this message [Hadith]>. The word HADITH here stands for the Qur'an itself.
Technically
It is any word, deed, approval, and physical or moral description attributed to the Prophet, whether truly or supposedly even the moves and rests in the awakening or sleep.

Prophetic Traditions [Sunnah]

Literally
The Arabic word SUNNAH denotes the manner or biography whether good or bad.
Technically
The majority of scholars consider it synonymous with the term Hadith. The word SUNNAH may be the antonym of the word BID`AH [novelty in religion]. According to Imam Shatbi, ''A person is said to be adherent to Sunnah if he follows the deeds of the Prophet, peace be upon him. On the other hand, somebody may be described as adherent to Bid`ah [novelty in religion] if he works against Prophetic tradition. The word SUNNAH may also denote the acts of Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) only in what leaves no room for personal opinions. This view works whether such acts are found in the Qur'an or Prophetic tradition or not. This is because the Companions' intention was to adhere to a certain Prophetic tradition that they witnessed and of which we knew nothing, or even because their deeds are interpretative judgments unanimously approved by them or by later Successors. Al-Shatbi said, ''This meaning is supported by the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he says, `Stick to my tradition and to that of the Righteously-Guided Caliphs'''.

Narration [Khabar]

Literally
The Arabic word KHABAR means ''Great affair.'' Its plural is AKHBAR.
Technically
It means whatever is transmitted from the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Companions, the Successors and whoever came after them.
Therefore, for many scholars, KHABAR is synonymous with HADITH. Some scholars try to differentiate between KHABAR and HADITH. KHABAR, according to them, is confined to the deeds of all people except the Prophet (peace be upon him). Hence, they call the one specialized in Prophetic tradition MUHADDITH [a transmitter] and in stories and the like IKHBARI [a historian].
Tradition [Athar]

Literally
The Arabic word AL-ATHAR means ''the remains of any thing''.
Technically
It is the tradition transmitted from the Companions and Successors.
Scholars believe that ''Al-Athar'' is synonymous with ''Sunnah'' and ''Hadith''. It designates hadiths traceable to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and those restricted to Companions. Al-Nawawi said, ''Transmitters used to label the Traceable and Restricted Hadiths as Athar''.

Components of Hadith

Chain of Narrators [Sanad]

Literally
The Arabic word AL-ATHAR means ''the remains of any thing''.
Technically
It is the tradition transmitted from the Companions and Successors.
Scholars believe that ''Al-Athar'' is synonymous with ''Sunnah'' and ''Hadith''. It designates hadiths traceable to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and those restricted to Companions. Al-Nawawi said, ''Transmitters used to label the Traceable and Restricted Hadiths as Athar''.

The Text [Matn]

Literally
The Arabic word MATN [Text] may be derived from MUMATANAH [Remote end] or from in MATTANTU [To extract] or from AL-MATN [Erected stiff spot of earth] or even from the Arabic phrase TAMTIN AL-QAUS which means strengthening the row.
Technically
It is the original words, at the end of the chain of transmitters, whether being narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) or from anyone else.
For example
Imam Muslim reported in his Sahih: Abu Bakr bin Abu Shaibah reported on the authority of Abu `Usamah from Hisham from Muhammad bin Sirin from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: None amongst the (Muslim) men should make proposal of marriage upon proposal already made by another (Muslim) brother or enter into a transaction when his brother has already entered and a woman should not ask the divorce of her sister to deprive her of what belongs to her, for she would have only what Allah has destined her to have. Those men narrating a Hadith one from another from the Prophet (peace be upon him) are the narrators. This chain may be called Chain of Narrators or Transmitters, or Chain of Transmission. Whereas the body reached by the chain, whether it is a saying, an approval or an attribute of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is called the Text. In this Hadith, the text is the utterances said by the Prophet (peace be upon him).

The Caption [Taraf]

Literally
The Arabic word TARAF [Caption] means a part or a group of something.
Technically
It is a complete sentence taken from the text indicating a saying, deed, approval or attribute of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The caption may be taken from the opening sentence of the text, or any other sentence indicating saying, deed or approval, whereby distinction is often made among texts.

Categories of Narrators

Narrators of Hadith

Advantage of studying Categories of Narrators
The study of Categories of Narrators is a branch of the general study of narrators. This science has a great benefit. Ibn Hajar said that its advantage is avoiding the inclusion of doubtful narrators, as well as exposing dishonest ones. It also aims at reaching the objective of accurate transmission.
Literally
The Arabic word TABAQAH [Category] means similar group of people.
Technically
Category means a group of narrators who resemble one another in age, even approximately, and in meeting preceding scholars.
Division of Category
The division of categories is a discretionary or technical matter as maintained by Ibn Kathir.

The Companions

Literally
The Arabic word SAHABI [Companion] means one who associates with another.
Technically
The term ''Companion'' applies to any Muslim who the Prophet (peace be upon him), whether his meeting with him was long or short, and who ultimately died while still embracing Islam.
Categories of Companions
Some scholars maintain that all Companions are of one category due to their companionship with the Prophet (peace be upon him). Such scholars maintain the same view towards Successors, and whoever follows them. They derive evidence from the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), ''The best among the people are those who belong to my age, then those next to them, then those next to them. He mentioned two or three generations after his own.''
Some scholars, however, divided Companions into categories according to their precedence in embracing Islam, their migration, witnessing great events like Badr and the Pledge of Al-Ridwan, and other degrees and ranks.
Ibn Sa'd, in his book AL-TABAQAT AL-KUBRA [Greater Categories], divided the Companions into five categories. At the top he put the Muhajirin who witnessed Badr, then the Ansar [Helpers] who witnessed Badr, then those who embraced Islam among the Muhajirin and Ansar but failed to witness Badr, then those who embraced Islam before the Conquest of Mecca, then those who embraced Islam after the Conquest.
Ibn Sa'd made such a division of categories according to the temporal and location factors. Ibn Kathir said, ''Among the most distinguished books which tackle this topic is Muhammad bin Sa'd's book entitled AL-TABAQAT AL-KUBRA. Expressing his view regarding Ibn Sa`d's book, Ibn Hajar said, ''Ibn Sa`d's book is the most comprehensive book ever written on this question.''
In his book MA'RIFAT `ULUM AL-HADITH [Cognizance of Hadith Studies] Al-Hakim Al-Naisaburi divided Companions into twelve categories
1. Those who embraced Islam at Mecca, like Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthman and `Ali.
2. Those who attended at Dar Al-Nadwah [Conference House].
3. Those who migrated to Abyssinia.
4. Those who witnessed the First Pledge of Al-`Aqabah.
5. Those who witnessed the Second Pledge of Al-`Aqabah.
6. First Muhajirin who caught up with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) at Qiba' before entering Medina.
7. Those who witnessed Badr.
8. Those who migrated during the period between Badr and Al-Hudaibiyah.
9. Those who attended the Pledge of Al-Ridwan.
10. Those who migrated during the period between Al-Hudaibiyah and the Conquest of Mecca.
11. Those who embraced Islam at the Conquest.
12. Children and infants who saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the Day of Conquest, Farewell Pilgrimage and other occasions.
Knowing Companions is part and parcel of studying the ascribed and Incompletely Transmitted Hadiths. Explaining the importance of knowing Companions, Al-Hakim maintained, ''Whoever preoccupies himself with thorough study of the Companions is indeed a perfect memorizer. I witnessed some of our preceding scholars narrate Traceable Hadith on the authority of a Successor from Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). They may narrate a Hadith from a Successor conceiving that he is a Companion, or they may narrate the Hadith from a Companion and conceive that he is a Successor.''
All the Companions are upright and trustworthy due to Allah's praise of them in His Holy Book, as well as the praise given in their favor by Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). Allah, the Exalted and Al-Mighty, says in the description of the Muhajirin [Migrant] and the Ansar [Supporters], ''To the indigent Migrants, those who were expelled from their homes and their property, while seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure, and aiding Allah and His Messenger; and such are indeed the sincere ones. And those who, before them, had homes (in Mecca) and had adopted the faith, show their affection to such as came to them.'' The Companions, however, are not equal regarding their narration from Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). Some of them narrated many hadiths, whereas others did not provide much narration. Among the first category are Abu Hurairah, `A'ishah bint Abu Bakr, Anas bin Malik, `Abdullah bin `Umar, Jabir bin `Abdullah Al-Ansari, Abu Sa`id Al-Khudari, `Abdullah bin Mas`ud And `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As.
Among the most well-known books written on the Companions are
1. AL-ISTI`AB FI ASMA' AL-ASHAB [The Exhaustive Book on Companions' Names] by Ibn `Abdul-Bar.
2. USD AL-GHABAH FI MA`RIFAT AL-ASAHABAH [Wood Lions in Cognizance of the Companions] by Ibn Al-Athir Al-Jazari.
3. AL-ISABAH FI TAMYIZ AL-SAHABAH [Right Course in Recognizing the Companions].
4. Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra [Greater Categories] by Ibn Sa`d.

The Successors

Literally
The Arabic word TABI`I [Successor] is an active participle derived from the verb TABI`A [to succeed]. Its plural form is TABI`IN [Successors].
Technically
The term is attributed to a person who kept company with a Companion. This definition is given by Al-Khatib Al-Hafizh. The general denotation of the word TABI`I [Successor] is specified to the person who succeeds another on the right course. Al-Hakim's definition gives the sense that it is enough for a Successor to hear from a Companion or meet him, even if the customary companionship is not realized. However, stipulating the meeting and seeing fits the Companion more than the Successor with respect to the denotation of the utterances.
Categories of Successors
Just as scholars differed regarding categories of Companions, they had also different opinions concerning categories of Successors. Some scholars regarded all Successors as one category,
while Al-Hakim divided them into fifteen categories
At the top there is the first category, who are attached to the previous ten categories of Companions. They include Qais bin Abu Hazim and Abu `Uthman Al-Nahdi. This category also includes the Successors who were born during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They were Companions' children. Al-Hakim considered them Successors, while others regarded them as young Companions only due to their seeing the Prophet. They include `Abdullah bin Talhah, Abu Umamah As`ad bin Sahl bin Hunaif and Abu Idris Al-Khaulani.
The second category: Successors who were contemporaneous with two epochs.
The phrase ''Contemporaneous of two epochs'' means those who lived during Al-Jahiliyah [Pre-Quranic Period] and witnessed the Prophet's lifetime, and embraced Islam, but they are not regarded as Companions. The Arabic word KHADHRAMAH [Contemporaneousness of two epochs] means ''cutting''; an allusion that they are cut off from Companions. Among such people, Muslim recorded about twenty people, including: Abu `Amr Al-Shaibani, Suwaid bin Ghafalah, `Amr bin Maimun, Abu `Uthman Al-Nahdi, Abu Al-Halal Al-`Ataki and `Abd Khair bin Yazid Al-Khaiwani. Ibn Al-Salah, however, commented: Muslim overlooked some people like Abu Muslim Al-Khawalani and `Abdullah bin Thaub. To such category, some scholars added `Abdullah bin `Akim and Al-Ahnaf bin Qais.
The third category: The preceding Successors
They are the seven Medinan jurists: Sa`id bin Al-Musayib, Al-Qasim bin Muhammad, `Urwah bin Al-Zubair, Kharijah bin Zaid, Abu Salamah bin `Abdul-Rahman, `Ubaidullah bin `Abdullah bin `Utbah, Sulaiman bin Yassar, some scholars of Basrah who met Anas bin Malik, and some scholars of Kufah who met `Abdullah bin Abu `Aufa.
Ibn Sa`d classified Successors into three categories according to the cities where they lived in.
He started with Medina, and classified those who lived in it into categories. Then he turned to those who lived in Mecca and divided them into categories as well. Then those who stayed at Al-Ta'if, Yamamah, Bahrain, Kufah, Basrah, Wasit, Al-Mada'n, Baghdad, Khurasan, Syria, Egypt, `Aylah (Palestine), Africa and Andalusia.
Benefit of studying Successors
The benefit gained from studying the categories of Successors is the same as that gained from knowing Companions. By virtue of this knowledge we can recognize Incompletely Transmitted Hadith and Connected Hadith. This knowledge helps also to scatter illusions and eliminate dubiosity caused by non-identification of names of narrators, their homelands and other matters.
The Best Among Successors
Scholars differed regarding who was the best among Successors. The most well known opinion was that he was Sa`id bin Al-Musayib. This view was attributed to Ahmad bin Hanbal and other scholars. Nevertheless, scholars of Al-Basrah maintained that the best among them was Al-Hasan. However, Scholars of Al-Kufah said this rank was shared between `Alqamah and Al-Aswad. Some people, however, argued that the best among the Successors was Uwais Al-Qurani. Meanwhile the Meccans said that the best was `Ata' bin Abu Rabah.
The most honored among female Successors were
Hafsah bint Sirin, `Amrah bint `Abdul-Rahman and Umm Al-Darda' Al-Sughra, may Allah be pleased with them all.

Followers of Successors

The term applies to those who did not meet the Companions, but met and narrated from one or more Successors.
Categories of Followers of Successors
1. Those who were contemporaneous with young Successors but did not meet Companions.
2. The elder Followers of Successors.
3. The middle-aged Followers of Successors.
4. The younger Followers of Successors.

Followers of the Followers

It is an epithet given to a person who met one or more of the Followers of the Successors, from whom he transmitted hadiths.
Categories of Followers of the Followers.
1. The elder Followers who transmitted hadiths from Followers of Successors.
2. The middle-aged Followers of the Followers.
3. The younger Followers of the Followers.

The Scholars of Hadith

Amir of the Believers
It is a title given to a person who has extensive knowledge of most hadiths such that only a few hadiths escape his cognition.

The Memorizers
It is a title given to a person who knows most narrators of each category; and it is the person who preoccupies himself with the Study of Hadith.

Study of Hadith

Definition
It is the study of the principles and rules with which we know the Chain of Narrators and the Text with regard to acceptance and rejection.
The Science of Hadith has two divisions
Transmission of Hadith, and study of Hadith
1. Transmission of Hadith
It is the science concerned with reporting, narrating, validating, and writing of the Prophet's words and deeds.
2. Study of Hadith
It is the study by which we can know the essence, conditions, types, and judgments of narration. By its means we can also know the narrators, their conditions, the categories of the narrated materials and other related matters.
The essence of narration is
Transmitting and ascribing Prophetic tradition to Whom It Is Attributed by Speaking or Narrating or any other way.
Its Conditions
The narrator should transmit his narration in one of the Methods of Transmission such as Hearing, Display, Permission and others.
Among the types of transmission are continued, discontinued and the like.
(The judgments of transmission) in the aforementioned definition means the acceptance or rejection of the transmission in question.
The state of narrators is determined by Uprightness and Invalidation.
The phrase ''their conditions'' is confined to the area of transmission and performance.
''Categories of narrated materials'' means compiled the collections of hadiths (Musnads), lexicons, volumes and other materials.
''The other related matters'' in the definition of transmission includes knowing the terminology of those working in the field of transmission.
This branch of knowledge is called study of Hadith, or the Study of Hadith Transmission Principles or Hadith Terminology. The latter is the most obvious and indicative of the intent.
- Subject Matter
The transmitter and the narrated material as regards acceptance and rejection
- Benefits
Knowing the accepted and rejected traditions and narrations.
- The most important compilations of this discipline are
1. AL-MUHADDITH Al-FASIL BAIN AL-RAWY WA AL-SAMI' [The Distinction between Transmitter and Hearer] by Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad Al-Ramahormuzi who is considered the first one to compile independently in this discipline.
2. `ULUM AL-HADITH [Studies of Hadith] by Al-Hafizh Abu `Amr bin Al-Salah who is well known for his introduction. About Ibn Al-Salah, Ibn Hajar said, ''His book gathers whatever is scattered in others' books, so people have dedicated themselves to it and followed it heartily. Many versifiers, synopsizers, reviewers and scholars have devoted themselves to it. It also has innumerable opponents and proponents.'' Because of the book's extreme importance, it was abridged by Imam Al-Nawawi in AL-TAQRIB [Facilitation], and by Ibn Kathir in his book IKHTISAR `ULUM AL-HADITH [Synopsis of Prophetic Hadith Studies], and by Ibn Hajar Al-`Asqalani in NUKHBAT AL-FIKR FI MUSTALAH AHL AL-ATHAR [Elite of Intellect in the Terminology of Tradition Scholars] and by others.

The Relater
It is the person who is preoccupied with the Study of Hadith. and who is well acquainted with many narrations as well as the condition of their narrators.

The Ascribes
It is a title given to a person who narrates Hadith with its chain of narrators whether relying on his own knowledge or on mere narration.

Qur'an and Sunna are equal in authority and Ahadith are part of Sunna.

Surah An-Nahl 44

بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالزُّبُرِ وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
With clear signs and Books (We sent the Messengers). And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) the Dhikr (reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur’ân)), that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought.

The word الذِّكْرَ([I]adh-dhikr) in Ayaah (verse) 16:44 وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ{And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) the Dhikr (reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur’ân)), that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them} means, by consensus, the Glorious Qur’aan, and in this Ayaah (verse) Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has been given the assignment of explaining the meaning of the Ayaat (Glorious Qur’aan) revealed to him, to the people and/or mankind. Therefore, herein, lies an open proof that the correct understanding of the realities, insight and injunctions of the Glorious Qur’aan depends on the statements and/or deeds of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). If everyone by simply having and/or acquiring the knowledge of Arabic language were to become capable of understanding the injunctions of the Glorious Qur’aan as Divinely intended, then the mission of explaining assigned to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) would have been rendered meaningless.