Hadith as subject, its myths and realities

[Barracuda]

Hadith as subject, its myths and realities


The myth that there are hundreds of thousands of Ahadeeth احاديث which were allegedly complied hundreds of years after Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم has always been very aggressively put forth by the Kuffar, Pseudo-Muslims and/or Pseudo-Islaamic cults without any supporting evidence [as usual].

The total number of Ahadeeth احاديث reported from Rasool Allaah رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم only goes in the thousands. Imaam Bukhari’s [رحمته الله] Kitaab ‘al-Jamius Saheeh’ only contains 9082 Ahadeeth احاديث, including all sorts of narrations and repeats and about 2230 without repetition. Sahih Muslim contains about 2179 Ahadeeth احاديث without repetition.

What then is the status of all other Ahadeeth احاديث? The answer can be found in the terminology of the Muhadditheen محدثين. When one thing is heard from ten different persons and these ten personas relate this to you, then according to the Muhadditheen محدثين, you have heard ten things. This is so because the subject matter and then ten different sources are all listed down, resulting in ten different narrations. Ahadeeth احاديث are also classified in this manner, where one Hadeeth حديث may have been related via ten chains of narrators, so in Hadeeth حديث terminology, this is counted as ten Ahadeeth احاديث.

Besides this, almost all Muhadditheen محدثين also regard the speech, practices and conditions of the Sahaabah صحابه رضي الله عنهم as Hadeeth حديث. Since according to them, besides the Ahadeeth-e-Nabwi [احاديث نبوى], the speech, actions and conditions of Sahaabah صحابه رضي الله عنهم are also included amongst Ahadeeth احاديث. Since there was a great number of Sahaabah صحابه رضي الله عنهم, thus, their speech, actions and conditions are also many. This is the reason of large number of Ahadeeth احاديث but not as many as the enemies of Islaam like to project.

There are six famous books of Ahadeeth احاديث which are called Six Principle Works الاصول السته or sometimes الصحاح السته ‘The Six Authentic Books.’ These six books of sahih Ahadeeth احاديث declared to be the best in terms of their accuracy, utility and general acceptance. ‘الصحاح السته The Six Authentic Books’ consists of the following:

Sahih Bukhari
Sahih Muslim
At-Tirmidhi
Abu Da’ud or Abu Dawud [Sunan]*
an-Nasa’i [Sunan]*
Ibn Majah * Sunan is a book in which there are Ahadeeth احاديث related to laws and orders namely Sunan Abu Dawud and Sunan an-Nasa’i.

Also Muslims must not fall for the trickery of anti-Islaam and/or ignorant Muslims’ and/or Hadeeth rejecters’ claim that Ahadeeth احاديث were written 200/300 hundred years after the Prophet of Islaam رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم , which in fact is not true, Ahadeeth احاديث were re-written while being compiled into Sahihian صحيحيانetc. Since at that time and/or era printing press was not invented yet, and neither existed copiers etc. Everything has to be written and then rewritten by hands. Notice there is extreme difference between the terms written and compiled (compilation). In order something to be compiled, it has to be written and/or be in existance. Therefore, the facts is that Ahadeeth احاديث were already in existance and/or written long before, they were compiled (http://www.islam-is-the-only-solution.com/record.htm) into books like Sahih Bukhari صحيح بخاری and/or Sahih Muslim صحيح مسلم or else.

Let us also look in the dictionary!
compile (http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/compiled.html)
com·pile [ kəm pl (http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/Pronounce.aspx?search=compiled) ] (past com·piled, past participle com·piled, present participle com·pil·ing, 3rd person present singular com·piles)

transitive verb

1. put things together: to gather things together from various places to form a whole
2. create something by gathering things: to create something by gathering things together
3. computing translate computer language: to convert a computer program written in a high-level language into an intermediate language (machine language) using a special program (compiler)
[14th century. From French compiler , of uncertain origin: probably from Latin compilare “to plunder, plagiarize,” literally “to heap together,” from pila (see pile1 (http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861726189/pile.html)).]


In Thesaurus we find the following!


1. (v.) To bring together:
• assemble
• aggregate
• muster up
• amass
• band
• cluster
• combine
• convene
• convoke
• gather
• group
• herd
• marshal
• mass
• muster
• pool
• rally
• round up
• bunch
• disperse (antonym)
• scatter (antonym)
• divide (antonym)
• disband (antonym)
2. (v.) To put together or compose from materials gathered from several sources:
• anthologize
• collect
• assemble
• gather
• garner

[.: Anna :.]

nice article bro, i have something which i can add to this later insha allah :)

[Ibn Sina]

nice article bro, i have something which i can add to this later insha allah :)

me too ;)

[Ibn Sina]

Ok here it is :)

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/bismilsmall.gif
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/isa.jpg (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/)
Are There Any Early Hadiths? M S M Saifullah & Imtiaz Damiel
© Islamic Awareness, All Rights Reserved.
First Composed: 8th August 2000
Last Updated: 18th November 2000


Assalamu-`alaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:
1. Introduction
It is frequently claimed by the Christian missionaries that there are no hadith collections from the first century of hijra. According to them the first hadith collections were written around 250 years after hijra.
We will show the evidence of existence of hadith collections from first century of hijra.
2. Examples Of First Century Hadith Collections

The Sahifa Of Hammam bin Munabbih: This is perhaps one of the earliest known hadith collections. Hammam bin Munabbih was a student of Abu Hurrairah and well-known among the scholars of the hadith to be trustworthy. According to the book Arabic Literature To The End of Ummayyad Periodt:An example is the Sahifah of Hammam bin Munabbih, (d. 110/719), a Yemenite follower and a disciple of companion Abu Hurrayrah, (d. 58/677), from whom Hammam wrote this Sahifah, which comprises 138 hadith and is believed to have been written around the mid-first AH/seventh century.[1]

The author went on to say:It is significant that Hammam introduces his text with the words: "Abu Hurrayrah told us in the course of what he related from the Prophet", thus giving the source of his information in the manner which became known as "sanad" or "isnad", i.e., the teacher of chain of teachers through whom an author reaches the Prophet, a practice invariably and systematically followed in Hadith compilations.[2]
We can see that of the 138 narrations in the Sahifa, 98 of them are faithfully witnessed in the later collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim, both through narrations of Abu Hurrairah and witnessing narrations from other Companions.
We also see that all but two of the narrations are found in one section of the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, again witnessing the preservation of hadith and that earlier works were faithfully rendered in later documents.[3]

Using the first century Sahifa of Hammam bin Munabbih as a "control group" Marston Speight compared it (i.e., the Sahifa) with about the 1500 variant readings of the same ahadith found in the collections of Ibn Hanbal (Musnad), al-Bukhari (Sahih) and Muslim (Sahih); the last three collections date from 3rd/9th century. Speight says:... the texts in Hammam and those recorded in Ibn Hanbal, Bukhari and Muslim with the same isnad show almost complete identity, except for a few omissions and interpolations which do not affect the sense of the reports. On the other hand, the same ahadith as told by other transmitters in the three collections studied show a rich variety of wording, again without changing the meaning of the reports.[4]

Further he comments about the reports of Hammam found in the later compilations of Ibn Hanbal, al-Bukhari and Muslim by saying that:... I have found practically no sign of careless or deceptive practices in the variant texts common to the Sahifa of Hammam bin Munabbih.[5]
In other words, it shows the meticuluous nature of hadith transmission as well as high moral and upright characters of the transmitters as well as collectors of the hadith; a fact that Islamic traditions had always asserted and now the western scholarship endorses it.

The Musannaf of `Abd al-Razzaq al-San`ani:[6] An article by Harald Motzki appeared in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies that mentioned about the the Musannaf of `Abd al-Razzaq al-San`ani as a source of authentic ahadith of the first century AH. Since the article is quite huge (21 pages), we will deal with only the conclusions of the author.While studying the Musannaf of `Abd al-Razzaq, I came to the conclusion that the theory championed by Goldziher, Schacht, and in their footsteps, many others - myself included - which in general, reject hadith literature as a historically reliable sources for the first century AH, deprives the historical study of early Islam of an important and a useful type of source.[7]
Some important hadith collections from second century of hijra are the following:[8]
The Muwatta' of Malik bin Anas: Malik bin Anas (d. 179/795) was the founder of Maliki school of jurisprudence. The Muwatta' of Malik was compiled in mid-second century AH. It is not a corpus of hadith in a true sense but a collection of practices of people of Madinah.
Musannaf of Ibn Jurayj (d. 150 AH)
Musannaf of Ma`mar bin Rashid (d. 153 AH)
A detailed report on hadith can be seen at `Abdur Rahim Green's Debate Material (http://www.muslim-answers.org/expo-03.htm#2).
And Allah knows best!




References
[1] A. F. L. Beeston, T. M. Johnstone, R. B. Serjeant and G. R. Smith (Ed.), Arabic Literature To The End of Ummayyad Period, 1983, Cambridge University Press, p. 272.
[2] ibid.
[3] More information can be obtained from the book Sahifa Hammam bin Munabbih: The Earliest Extant Work On The Hadith, 1979, M. Hamidullah, Centre Cultural Islamique.
[4] R. M. Speight, "A Look At Variant Readings In The Hadith", Der Islam, 2000, Band 77, Heft 1, p. 170.
[5] ibid., p. 175.
[6] `Abd al-Razzaq b. Hammam al-San`ani (ed. Habib al-Rahman al-A`zami), Al-Musannaf, 1970-72, 11 Volumes, Beirut.
[7] H. Motzki, "The Musannaf Of `Abd al-Razzaq Al-San`ani As A Source of Authentic Ahadith of The First Century A.H.", Journal Of Near Eastern Studies, 1991, Volume 50, p. 21.
[8] Beeston et al., Arabic Literature To The End of Ummayyad Period, op.cit, pp. 272-273.

[Ibn Sina]

Smashing another missionary lie about the hadith :)

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/bismilsmall.gif
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/isa.jpg (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/)
On The Nature Of Hadith Collections Of Imam Al-Bukhari & Muslim
Khalid al-Khazraji, Muhammad Ghoniem & M S M Saifullah
© Islamic Awareness, All Rights Reserved.
First Composed: 3rd September 1999
Last Modified: 24th August 2005


Assalamu-`alaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:
1. Introduction

Over the years, Christian missionaries have solidified their reputation for embracing zealous new recruits. One fresh addition to this delegation of holy servicemen is the neophyte, Andrew Vargo. More often than not, the missionaries have overlooked the academic backgrounds of these fresh recruits, apparently intoxicated by their impassioned hatred for Islam. Mr. Vargo has recently tried his hand as a student of comparative religion, introducing some of the most fantastic ideas yet to the discourse. Among these ideas is a rather boastful claim (http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Saifullah/hadith.htm) concerning the collection of ahadith by the great Muslim scholar, Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH). The highlight of Vargo's claim lies in the following:In fact, it is difficult, in spite of the Muslim "science" of Hadith to know which traditions are strong or weak! For example, Bukhari collected over 600,000 reports, but kept only 7,397 as true!

This is one of the most popular claims concerning the vast collection of ahadith of al-Bukhari in the Christian missionary literature and comes with fanciful explanations. For example, Anis Shorrosh, a well-known Arab missionary, says:... Bukhari, collected twenty thousand of them, of which he rejected ten thousand, accounting them untrue. Of the remaining ten thousand he accepted only 7,275, declaring the rest to be untrustworthy. Abu Da'ud accepted as authentic only 4,800 rules out 50,000.[1]

Similarly we find Norman Geisler and Abdul Saleeb claiming that:...Bukhari, considered to be the most reliable collector, admitted that of the 300,000 hadith he collected, he considered only 100,000 might be true. He then narrowed this number down to 7,275, many of which are repetitions so that the total number is in fact near 3,000. That means that even he admitted there were errors in over 295,000 of them![2]

Nearly a similar statement is repeated by Geisler in his Baker Encyclopedia Of Christian Apologetics to cast doubts on the miracles performed by the Prophet Muhammad.[3] Abdiyah Akbar Abdul-Haqq, on the other hand, labels what al-Bukhari did not include in his collection as "apocryphal".As to the abundance of the apocryphal traditions, we learn that the famous authority al-Bukhari choose only 7,000 out of a host of 600,000 traditions that were current in his on time.[4]
Similar statements were made by John Ankerberg and John Weldon, who quoted a "Muslim scholar".[5]

Not surprising is the case of Rand Corporation (http://www.rand.org/), who have published an interesting report on Islam entitled "Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies (http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1716/MR1716.pdf)". The report has two fold agenda: firstly, to try to create a version of Islam that suits the post-9/11 Western agenda and secondly encouraging creation of divisions in the Muslim society at home and abroad. The Rand Report's recipe to achieve this aim is to encourage and promote the so-called modernist Muslims and play one section of the society against another to split the Muslim society. A small example of it can be seen when the report uses the material from the hadith-rejectors (not surprisingly!) to claim "objectively" that:Even if that were not the case, objectively speaking, there is little doubt that hadith is at best a dubious, flawed instrument. Consider that Al-Bukhari is the compiler of what is generally considered to be the most authoritative and reliable collections of hadith. He collected 600,000 hadith, examined them for their authenticity, eliminated all but 7,600 of them, deleted some for redundancy, and was left with a collection of about 4,000.[6]
As we shall see, feisty statements such as the above only prove to be self-defeating in the end. This article intends to examine missionaries' thesis in light of the scholarship of Imam al-Bukhari, and thereby ascertain the actual worth of their claim.
To appreciate the broader perspective, we will also include a discussion of Imam Muslim's ahadith collection, insha'allah.
2. Imam Bukhari & The Nature Of His Collection
Vargo, Shorrosh, Geisler, Abdul Saleeb, Abdul-Haqq and Benard have practically begged the question for us already - where exactly did Imam al-Bukhari mention that among the 600,000 ahadith in his collection, only 7,397 are to be accepted as 'true'? They maintains the missionary tradition of conveniently omitting any references that would not support their thesis; the mark of a true academicians, indeed! Once again, it is left to the Muslims to enlighten the ill-informed missionaries on this matter.
Imam al-Bukhari's actual words have been reproduced below:

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/bukhBukhari1.jpg
* The two sahih collections did not gather the totality of the authentic ahadith as proved by al-Bukhari's testimony: "I have not included in my book al-Jami` but what is authentic, and I left out among the authentic for fear of [excessive] length.(Footnote 2)"

Footnote 2 says:He [al-Bukhari] meant that he did not mention all the turuq [parallel chains of transmission] for each and every hadith.[7]
To reiterate this in elementary English, Imam al-Bukhari selected only a few authentic ahadith from his vast collection. However, he left out certain traditions, despite their authenticity, simply to avoid excessive length and repetition in his Al-Jami` (a discussion about which is given below). If anything, the privilege to make such a gesture is highly complimentary to the authenticity of the Islamic traditions. In another tradition, Imam al-Bukhari is also reported to have said:

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/bukBukhari2.jpg
He said, I heard as-Sa`dani say, I heard some of our companions say, Muhammad Ibn Isma`il said: I selected/published [the content of] this book - meaning the Sahih book - from about 600,000 hadiths/reports. Abu Sa`d al-Malini informed us that `Abdullah Ibn `Udayy informed us: I heard al-Hasan Ibn al-Husayn al-Bukhari say: "I have not included in my book al-Jami` but what is authentic, and I left out among the authentic what I could not get hold of."[8]
The above quotation reflects Imam al-Bukhari's gallant honesty to admit that he was not able to collect each and every authentic tradition that existed in his day. Rather, his Al-Jami` is only a partial collection of authentic traditions, despite its massive volume. Furthermore, it should be clarified for the missionaries that the notion of a partial collection of authentic material is quite different from the notion of a partially authentic collection of material. However, it is not our aim to offer a course on propositional reasoning. Thus, we leave the point with the hope that they will eventually comprehend this piece of preschool logic.

Professor Mustafa al-Azami, who offered a devastating critique of Joseph Schacht's work, again clarifies the misunderstanding of many orientalists on this issue:Al-Bukhari did not claim that what he left out were the spurious, nor that there were no authentic traditions outside his collection. On the contrary he said, "I only included in my book al-Jami` those that were authentic, and I left out many more authentic traditions than this to avoid unnecessary length." He had no intention of collecting all the authentic traditions. He only wanted to compile a manual of hadith, according to the wishes of his Shaikh Ishaq b. Rahwaih, and his function is quite clear from the title of his book al-Jami` al-Musnad al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar min umur Rasul Allah wa Sunanhi wa ayyamih. The word al-Mukhtasar, 'epitome', itself explains that al-Bukhari did not make any attempt at a comprehensive collection.[9]
Yet, the missionaries seem to be living under the delusion that the 600,000 ahadith of Imam al-Bukhari's collection somehow means 600,000 separate narrations or bodies of text. His sloppy study of this issue becomes clear when one learns that a hadith is comprised of both a text (matn) and a chain of transmission (isnad). In the science of hadith (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/Ulum/atit.html), the same text with ten chains of transmission is regarded not as one hadith but rather as ten hadiths, despite the fact that the text attached to each chain is the same in every case.

Professor Mustafa al-Azami adds:Now it is clear that when traditionalists give enormous numbers for the traditions, they mean channels and sources of their transmission, and do not mean real numbers of hadith.[10]

Nabia Abbott, a prominent orientalist who conducted an extensive study on hadith literature, observed that the phenomenal growth of the corpus of this literature is not due to growth in content but due to progressive increase in the parallel and multiple chains of transmission, i.e., isnads:... the traditions of Muhammad as transmitted by his Companions and their Successors were, as a rule, scrupulously scrutinised at each step of the transmission, and that the so called phenomenal growth of Tradition in the second and third centuries of Islam was not primarily growth of content, so far as the hadith of Muhammad and the hadith of the Companions are concerned, but represents largely the progressive increase in parallel and multiple chains of transmission.[11]

Take a highly simplified example of one Companion narrating a single hadith from the Prophet to two students: these students themselves teaching that narration again to two pupils each and so on until we reach the time of al-Bukhari and his contemporaries. We will find that in al-Bukhari's generation at least 16 individuals will be hearing the hadith from their respective teachers. Because each individual chain of transmission counts as a separate hadith, what started out as a single narration transmitted by one Companion only, has evolved within a short period of time to 16 ahadith; an increase of 1600%. The true nature of affairs, however, being far greater, with a far greater number of Companions transmitting a far greater number of narrations to a far greater number of students. This then is the form in which proliferation took place, the dispersion of narrators and chains of transmission. Using the mathematical application of geometric progression, Nabia Abbott concludes:... using geometric progression, we find that one to two thousand Companions and senior Successors transmitting two to five traditions each would bring us well within the range of the total number of traditions credited to the exhaustive collections of the third century. Once it is realised that the isnad did, indeed, initiate a chain reaction that resulted in an explosive increase in the number of traditions, the huge numbers that are credited to Ibn Hanbal, Muslim and Bukhari seem not so fantastic after all.[12]
The implications of explosive increase in of the isnad is dealt with here (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/exisnad.html).
3. Imam Muslim & The Nature Of His Collection
Imam Muslim along the similar lines to that of Imam al-Bukhari , is reported to have said:

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/bukhmuslim.gif

The translation of which is:[...]. Imam Muslim said: "I have not included in my present book any thing but with proof [regarding authenticity] , and I have not left out anything but with proof". He also said: I did not include everything that I judge authentic/Sahih, I only included what received a unanimous agreement, i.e., what fulfilled all the criteria of authenticity agreed upon[by the scholars].

And Muslim has presented [his collection] to the scholars of his time, like Imam Abu Zar`ah, and retained what was void of defect, and left out what had some defect.[13]
From the above quotation, it is clear that Imam Muslim's collection is also a partial collection of authentic material and not a partially authentic collection of material. He followed a certain set of criteria that demanded a proof for the inclusion of each and every hadith in his collection.
4. Conclusions
Imam al-Bukhari's collection of ahadith was maintained to be authentic on account of his authority, and it has been maintained as authentic ever since. The missionaries' assertion, that Imam al-Bukhari regarded almost 99% of his own collection as spurious, is among the most rash and foolhardy statements ever dared by Christian missionaries. On the contrary, the 7,397 refers to the number of hadiths that Imam al-Bukhari chose to include in his Al-Jami` and left out many authentic narrations from his vast collection for the fear of excessive length.

Again, according to the Vargo:In fact, it is difficult, in spite of the Muslim "science" of Hadith to know which traditions are strong or weak!

We should wonder whether the neophyte is as quick to demonstrate the same puerile enthusiasm over the question of his own religious texts (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Bible/Text/Canon/). Regardless, we will quote the famous trial of Imam al-Bukhari to show how maqlub (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/Ulum/asb6.html)[14] (changed, reversed) ahadith can be identified with ease by a scholar of hadith:The famous trial of al-Bukhari by the scholars of Baghdad provides a good example of a Maqlub isnad. The traditionists, in order to test their visitor, al-Bukhari, appointed ten men, each with ten ahadith. Now, each hadith (text) of these ten people was prefixed with the isnad of another. Imam al-Bukhari listened to each of the ten men as they narrated their ahadith and denied the correctness of every hadith. When they had finished narrating these ahadith, he addressed each person in turn and recounted to him each of his ahadith with its correct isnad. This trial earned him great honour among the scholars of Baghdad.[15]

Finally, it is worth citing a significant trend in modern Western scholarship of the Prophetic traditions of Islam. For the past several decades, criticism of these traditions has been the Orientalist's whipping post, an opportunity to invalidate the traditions of Islam, which culminated in the work of Joseph Schacht, mentioned earlier. However, this position has practically been reversed in recent times, with the advent of academic honesty on the part of Western scholars. Professor John Esposito of Georgetown University has made the following counter-criticism of Schacht's traditional position:Accepting Schacht's conclusion regarding the many traditions he did examine does not warrant its automatic extension to all the traditions. To consider all Prophetic traditions apocryphal until proven otherwise is to reverse the burden of proof. Moreover, even where differences of opinion exist regarding the authenticity of the chain of narrators, they need not detract from the authenticity of a tradition's content and common acceptance of the importance of tradition literature as a record of the early history and development of Islamic belief and practice.[16]
The position of Esposito perhaps reflects the growing attitude among Western educational institutions that entertain any study of Islam and its traditions. This is simply evidenced by the fact that Professor Esposito has become one of the reigning authorities on Islam in the West, whose textbooks are considered university standards for courses on Islam.
Considering the missionaries' abuse of hadiths to denigrate the Prophet(P) of Islam, it would be too generous to assume that Vargo, Shorrosh, Geisler and Abdul Saleeb "misunderstood" the nature of the collection of Imam al-Bukhari. As for the Rand Corporation's report, their "objectivity" lies in the unverified use of source material. An honest misunderstanding entails at least some understanding of the issue, which doesn't even seem to be their case. Perhaps the Christian missionaries might consider beginning a genuine study of the science of hadith (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/Ulum/atit.html) before they embarrasses themselves further.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Abu Hudhayfah for providing us necessary help and allowing us to use his material.
And Allah knows best!




References
[1] Dr. A. A. Shorrosh, Islam Revealed: A Christian Arab's View Of Islam, 1988, Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, p. 22.
[2] N. L. Geisler & A. Saleeb, Answering Islam: The Crescent In The Light Of The Cross, 1993, Baker Books: Grand Rapids (MI), p. 165.
[3] "Muhammad, Alleged Miracles Of", in N. L. Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia Of Christian Apologetics, 2002, Baker Books: Grand Rapids (MI), p. 512.
[4] A. A. Abdul-Haqq, Sharing Your Faith With A Muslim, 1980, Bethany House Publications: Minneapolis, p. 45.
[5] J. Ankerberg & J. Weldon, Fast Facts On Islam, 2001, Harvest House Publishers: Eugene (OR), pp. 50-51.
[6] C. Benard, "Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies (http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1716/MR1716.pdf)", 2003, Rand Corporation, p. 67.
[7] Muhammad Ajaj al-Khatib, Al-Mukhtasar al-Wajiz fi `Ulum al-Hadith, 1991, Mu'assasat al-Risalah, p. 135.
[8] Abi Bakr Ahmad Ibn `Ali al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad Aw Madinah as-Salam, 1931 (1349 AH), Volume II, Maktabat al-Khanji, Cairo & Al-Maktabah al-`Arabiyyah, Baghdad and Matba'at as-S'adah near the State Department, Cairo, pp. 8-9.
[9] M. M. al-Azami, Studies In Early Hadith Literature, 1992, American Trust Publications: Indianapolis (USA), pp. 305-306.
[10] ibid., p. 306.
[11] N. Abbott,Studies In Arabic Literary Papyri, Volume II [Qur'anic Commentary & Tradition], 1967, University Of Chicago Press: Chicago (USA), p. 2.
[12] ibid., p. 72.
[13] Al-Imam Muhyee ad-Din Abi Zakariyya Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi, Sahih Muslim Bi Sharh al-Imam al-Nawawi, Volume I, 1994/1414, Dar al-Khair, p. 1.
[14] A hadith is known as maqlub (changed, reversed) when its isnad is grafted to a different text or vice versa, or if a reporter happens to reverse the order of a sentence in the text.
[15] S. Hasan, An Introduction To The Science Of Hadith, 1995, Darussalam Publishers: Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) available online (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/Ulum/atit.html), quote taken from here (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/Ulum/asb6.html).
[16] J. Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path, 1998, Oxford University Press, p. 81.

[Ibn Sina]

More :)

Ahadeeth myths
By : kadafi (www.islamicboard.com (http://www.islamicboard.com))


All praise is due to Allaah, and peace and blessings of Allaah be upon his Last and Final Messenger, his pure family, his noble Companions, and all those who follow them with righteousness until the Day of Judgment.We have undoubtedly sent down the Reminder(al-dhikr), and We will truly preserve it. (Soorah al-Hijr:9)
This article is a humble attempt to eradicate the misconceptions that many non-Muslims and Muslims possess about the second source of the Shariah (Islaamic jurisprudence) namely the Sunnah.

This article is by no means a comprehensive coverage of the Sunnah, but rather an introductory article dispelling the myths surrounding ahadeeth [pl. of hadeeth]. I will attempt to avoid several sections such as the command to follow the Messenger as this is discussed in great detail by Allaamah al-Albaani (May Allaah have mercy on him) in his treatise, the Status of the Sunnah in Islaam

I pray, insha’Allaah, (God-Willing), that this article serves to remove the confusion and ignorance that the people are suffering from regarding this important issue and that it will save all those sincere seekers of truth from failing into major kufr by rejecting the ahadeeth.

The Definition of Hadeeth


The term hadeeth linguistically means a communication or a narrative. This is confirmed in the Glorious Qur’aanLet them then produce a saying (hadeeth) like unto it. (Soorah at-Tur:34)

And when the Prophet spoke (Hadeeth) secretly to one of his wives. (Soorah at-Tahrim:3)
In the Shariah terminology, it refers to all that is transmitted from the Prophet, his deeds, his sayings, whatever he approved. According to the Muhadditheen (scholars of hadeeth), it is synonymous with the term Sunnah.

Myth #1 Ahadeeth were written 200 years after the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)


This misconception is based on the hadeeth mentioned in Saheeh Muslim (Second authenthic Hadeeth collection):It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Do not write anything from me; whoever has written anything from me other than the Qur’aan, let him erase it and narrate from me, for there is nothing wrong with that. (Narrated by Muslim, al-Zuhd wa’l-Raqaa’iq, 5326)
Those who use this hadeeth and argue that no ahadeeth were written are ignorant of the historical temporary prohibition of this statement. The temporary prohibition was meant as a precautionary step to ensure the correctness of the word of Allaah as distinguished from the words of the Prophet himself, as both came from the lips of the Prophet. This is one view and several other views are mentioned in the commentary on Saheeh Muslim by Imaam Al-Nawawi (May Allaah have mercy on him)



Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Saheeh Muslim:Al-Qaadi said: there were many disputes among the Sahaabah and Taabi’een concerning the writing down of knowledge. Many of them regarded this as being makrooh, but most of them regarded it as permissible. This dispute is no longer an issue.


They differed as to the meaning of this hadeeth which says that it is forbidden. It was said that this pertained to one who was sure of his memory, and there was the fear that he may rely upon what he had written if he wrote it down; the ahaadeeth which say that it is permissible to write things down is to be interpreted as referring to the one whose memory is not reliable, such as the hadeeth, “Write it down for Abu Shaah”; or the hadeeth of the saheefah of ‘Alee (may Allaah be pleased with him); the hadeeth of the book of ‘Amr ibn Hazm, which contains laws on inheritance, sunnahs and diyaat (blood money); the hadeeth about writing down charity, and the minimum amounts at which zakaah becomes obligatory (nisaab), with which Abu Bakr sent Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) to Bahrain; the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah which says that Ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas used to ; write things down but he (Abu Hurayrah) did not write things down, and other ahaadeeth. And it was said that the hadeeth forbidding writing down ahaadeeth was abrogated by these ahaadeeth.


The prohibition was in effect when there was the fear that (the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) might be mixed with the Qur’aan. When that danger was no longer present, permission was given to write down (ahaadeeth). And it was said that the prohibition mentioned in the hadeeth referred to writing ahaadeeth on the same page as Qur’aan, lest they become mixed and thus the reader would be confused when looking at this page. And Allaah knows best.


The hadeeth of Abu Shaah was narrated by al-Bukhaari from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said:

‘When Allaah granted His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) victory over Makkah, he stood before the people and praised and glorified Allaah, then he said: “Allaah protected Makkah from the elephant and has given authority to His Messenger and the believers over it, so fighting was forbidden for anyone before me, and was made permissible for me for part of a day, and it will not be permissible for anyone after me. Its game should not be chased, its thorny bushes should not be uprooted, and picking up its fallen things is not allowed except for one who makes public announcement for it, and he whose relative is murdered has the option either to accept a compensation for it or to retaliate.” Al-‘Abbas said, “Except Al-Idhkhir (a kind of plant), for we use it in our graves and houses.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Except Al-Idhkhir.” Abu Shaah, a Yemeni, stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allaah! Get it written for me.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Write it for Abu Shaah.” (al-Luqatah, 2254)


Ibn Hajar said: What may be understood from the story of Abu Shaah (“Write it for Abu Shaah”) is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave permission for hadeeth to be written down from him.

This contradicts the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri, which says that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do not write down anything from me except the Qur’aan.’ (Narrated by Muslim).


The two may be reconciled by noting that the prohibition applied only to the time when the Qur’aan was being revealed, lest it be confused with something else, and that permission was given at other times; or that the prohibition applied only to writing down things other than Qur’aan with the Qur’aan on one thing, and that permission was given to write them separately; of that the prohibition came first and the permission abrogated that, when there was no longer any fear of confusion. This is most likely to be the case.


It was said that the prohibition applied only to those whom it was feared would depend on the writing and not memorize things, and that permission was given for those from whom such a thing was not feared.


The scholars said: a group of the Sahaabah and Taabi’een regarded it as makrooh to write down the hadeeth and they regarded it as mustahabb to learn it from them by heart, as they had learned it. But when people were no longer able to strive so hard (in memorizing) and the scholars feared that knowledge might be lost, they compiled it in books.”

There are countless instructions from the Prophet instructing his companions to write down some ahadeeth.

One of the Ansaar (The Helpers) asked the Prophet if there was another way to preserve ahadeeth as he sometimes forgets them. The Prophet replied:Seek help from your right hand, and pointed out to a writing. (Tirmidhi)

Raafi ibn Khadij (May Allaah be pleased with him) said:I said to the Prophet that we hear from you many things, should we write them down?” He replied: You may write. There is no harm. (Tadreeb ar Raawi)

Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet said:Preserve knowledge by writing. (At-Tabari Jaami ul Bayaan)

Abu Raafi (may Allaah be pleased with him) sought permission from the Prophet to write ahadeeth and the Prophet granted him that permission (Tirmidhi)

Salma (student of Ibn Abbaas) says:I saw some small wooden boards with Abdullaah Ibn Abbaas. He was writing on them some reports of the acts of the Prophet which he acquired from Abu Raafi’. (Tabaqaat Ibn Sa’d)

Abdullaah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas (May Allaah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet said to him:Preserve Knowledge

Abdullaah then asked,how should it be preserved?

The Prophet replied,by writing it.

(Mustadrik Haakim; Jaami ul Bayaan)

In another report, he says,I came to the Prophet and told him, I want to narrate your ahadeeth. So, I want to take assistance of my handwriting besides my heart. Do you deem it fit for me?’

The Prophet replied,If it is my hadeeth you may seek help from your hand besides your heart. (Daarimi)

He also says:I used to write whatever I heard from the Prophet and wanted to learn it by heart. Some people of the Quraysh dissuaded me and said,

Do you write everything you hear from the Prophet, while he is a human being and sometimes he may be in anger as any other human beings may be? (Abu Dawood)

After Abdullaah ibn Amr conveyed their opinion to the Prophet, the Prophet replied by pointing to his lips and said:I swear by the One in whose hands is the soul of Muhammad: nothing comes out from these two (lips) except truth(haqq). So, do write. (Abu Dawood; Tabaqaat ibn Sa’d; Mustadrik ul Haakim)

These narrations attest that ahadeeth were written during the era of the Prophet.

I will list here the prominent compilations written in the first and second century, some written by the sahabas (the Prophet’s companions), their students (taabi’een), and the students of the taabi’een (tabaa'at-taabi'een).

Some of the compilations during the era of the Prophet:

The Scripts of Abu Hurairah


Hasan ibn Amr reports that once:Abu Hurairah took him to his home and showed him “many books” containing the ahadeeth of the Prophet. (Jaami’ Bayaan-ul-‘Ilm; Fath-ul-Baari)
The Script of Abdullaahi ibn Amr


Mujahid, his student, saidI went to Abdullaah ibn Amr and took in hand a script placed beneath his cushion. He stopped me. I said, You never save anything from me. He replied:

This is the Saadiqah (the Script of Truth). It is what I heard from the Prophet. No other narrator intervenes between him and myself. If this script, the Book of Allaah, and wahaz (his agricultural land) are secured for me, I would never care about the rest of the world. (Jaami’ Bayaan-ul-‘Ilm)
The Script of Anas


Sa’eed ibn Hilal, one of his students, says:When we insisted upon Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) he would bring to us some notebooks and say, These are what I have heard and written from the Prophet, after which I have presented them to the Prophet for confirmation. (Mustadrik Haakim)
The Script of Alee


Alee said:I have not written anything from the Prophet except the Qur’aan and what is contained in this script. (Saheeh Bukhaaree- Book of Jihaad)

Ibn Sa'd reports that Alee stood in the mosque and delivered a lecture then he asked the people:Who will purchase ‘knowledge’ for one dirham only?
meaning, who wants to learn ahadeeth should buy writing paper for one dirham and come to him for dictation.


It is reported that Haarith al-A’war bought some paper and came to him:So, Alee wrote for him a lot of knowledge. (Tabaqaat Ibn Sa’d)
Scripts of Jaabir


Qataadah, one of Jaabir’s students, says,I remember the script of Jaabir more than I remember Surah al-Baqarah (Qur’aan). (Tahdheeb at-Tahdheeb)
Scripts of Ibn Abbaas


Musa ibn Uqbah says:Kuraib left with us a camel load of Ibn Abbaas’s books. When Alee ibn Abdullaah ibn Abbaas would need any book from them, he wrote to Kuraib, ‘Send to me such and such books.’ He would then transcribe the book and send to him one of the two copies. (Tabaqaat Ibn Sa’d)
The pupils of Ibn Abbaas would copy these scripts and read them over to him to confirm the correctness of the copies. (Tirmidhi)

Sometimes Ibn Abbaas would narrate the ahadeeth to his pupils while they would record them. (Daarimi)

The compilations of the First Century:

1. Book of Khalid ibn Ma’dan (d. 104)
2. Books of Abu Qilabah (d. 104). He bequeathed his books to his pupil, Ayyub Saktiyan (68-131 A.H.), who paid more than ten dirhams as a fare for them being loaded on a camel.
3. The script of Hammam ibn Munabbih,
4. Books of Hasan al-Basri (21-110 A.H.)
5. Books of Muhammad al-Baqir (56-114 A.H.)
6. Books of Makhul from Syria
7. Book of Hakam ibn ‘Utaibah
8. Book of Bukair ibn Abdullaah ibn al-Ashajj (d. 117)
9. Book of Qais ibn Sa’d (d. 117). This book later belonged to Hammad ibn Salamah.
10. Book of Sulaiman al-Yashkuri
11. Al-Abwaab of Sha’bi,
12. Books of Ibn Shihaab az-Zuhri
13. Book of Abul-Aliyah
14. Book of Sa’id ibn Jubair (d. 95)
15. Books of Umar ibn ‘Abdul Aziz (61-101 A.H.)
16. Books of Mujahid ibn Jabr (d. 103)
17. Book of Raja ibn Hywah (d. 112)
18. Book of Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Haq
19. Book of Bashir ibn Nahik.

The compilations of the second century (note that only the prominent ones are listed due length) :

1. Book of Abdul Malik ibn Juraij (d. 150)
2. Muwatta of Maalik ibn Anas (93-179)
3. Muwatta of Ibn Abi Zi’b (80-158)
4. Maghaazi of Muhammad ibn Ishaq (d. 151)
5. Musnad of Rabi’ ibn Sabih (d. 160)
6. Book of Sa’id ibn Abi ‘Arubah (d. 156)
7. Book of Hammad ibn Salmah (d. 167)
8. Jami’ Sufyan ath-Thauri (97-161)
9. Jami’ Ma’mar ibn Rashid (95-153)
10. Book of ‘Abdur-Rahman al-Awzaa’I (88-157)
11. Kitaab az-Zuhd by Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak (118-181)
12. Book of Hushaim ibn Bashir (104-183)
13. Book of Jarir ibn ‘Abdul-Hamid (110-188)
14. Book of Abdullaah ibn Wahb (125-197)
15. Book of Yahya ibn Abi Kathîr (d. 129)
16. Book of Muhammad ibn Suqah (d. 135)
17. Tafsîr of Zaid ibn Aslam (d. 136)
18. Book of Musa ibn ‘Uqbah (d. 141)
19. Book of Ash’ath ibn ‘Abdul-Malik (d. 142)
20. Book of Aqil ibn Khalid (d. 142)
21. Book of Yahya ibn Sa’id Ansari (d. 143)
22. Book of Awf ibn Abi Jamilah (d. 146)
23. Books of Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (d. 148)
24. Books of Yunus ibn Yazid (d. 152)
25. Book of ‘Abdur-Rahman al-Mas’udi (d. 160)
26. Books of Zaidah ibn Qudamah (d. 161)
27. Books of Ibrahim al-Tahman (d. 163)
28. Books of Abu Hamzah al-Sukri (d. 167)
29. Al-Gharaaib by Shu’bah ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 160)
30. Books of Abdul-Aziz ibn ‘Abdullaah al-Majishun (d. 164)
31. Books of Abdullaah ibn ‘Abdullaah ibn Abi Uwais (d. 169)
32. Books of Sulaiman ibn Bilal (d. 172)
33. Books of Abdullaah ibn Lahi’ah (d. 147)
34. Jami’ Sufyan ibn ‘Uyainah (d. 198)
35. Kitaab-ul-AAthaar by Imaam Abu Haneefah (d. 150)
36. Maghaazi of Mu’tamir ibn Sulaiman (d. 187)
37. Musannaf of Waki’ ibn Jarrah (d. 196)
38. Musannaf of Abdur-Razzaaq ibn Hammam (136-221)
39. Musnad of Zaid ibn Alee (76-122)
40. Books of Imaam Shaafi’i (150-204)

The following are available today in printed form:

1. Al-Muwatta by Imaam Maalik.
2. Kitaab-ul-AAthaar by Imaam Abu Haneefah.
3. Musannaf by ‘Abdur-Razzaaq. This book has been published in eleven big volumes.
4. As-Seerah by Muhammad ibn Ishaq.
5. Kitaab az-Zuhd by ‘Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak.
6. Kitaab az-Zuhd by Waki’ ibn Jarraah (3 volumes).
7. Al-Musnad by Zaid ibn Alee (76-122).
8. Sunan of Imaam Shaafi’i.
9. Musnad of Shaafi’i.
10. Siyar of Awzaa’i (88-157).
11. Musnad of ‘Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak.
12. Musnad of Abu Daawood Tayalisi (d. 204).
13. Ar-Radd ‘ala Siyaril-Awzaa’i by Imaam Abu Yoosuf.
14. Al-Hujjah ‘ala Ahlil-Madeenah by Imaam Muhammad ibn Hasan Shaibaani.
15. Kitaabul-Umm by Imaam Shaafi’i.
16. Al-Maghaazi by Waqidi (130-206) (4 volumes).

Myth #2 Al-Hikmaah is an attribute of the Glorious Qur’aan

The Quraniyyah (Quran-alone group) argue that Al-Hikmaah mentioned in the Glorious Qur’aan refers to the Glorious Qur’aan instead of the Sunnah. They claim that it means mere 'Wisdom' and leave it at that.

In the linguistic sense, The term hikmaah means 'wisdom', 'aphorism', 'maxim', or 'gnome'. it is derived from the root h-k-m (haakaama) which means 'to rule or issue a judgement' and thus in the Shariah terminology, it refers to the Sunnah depending on the context.


The definition is eloquently explained by Imaam Shaaf’ee (may Allaah have mercy on him) who comments on the ayaat regarding the Kitaab (Qur’aan) and the Hikmaah (Sunnah):Allaah (Exalted is He) mentioned the Kitaab, and that is the Qur'aan; He also mentioned Hikmaah. I have heard those whose opinion I trust among the people of knowledge of the Qur'aan say that Hikmaah means the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This supports what Allaah (Exalted is He) said - and Allaah knows best - because the Qur'aan is a reminder (dhikr) and hikmaah follows it, and Allaah mentioned that He lavished favour on His creatures by teaching them the Kitaab and Hikmaah. It is therefore impermissible - and Allaah knows best - to say that Hikmaah here is anything other than the Sunnah of Allaah's Messenger (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). That is because it is coupled (maqruna) with the Kitaab, and that Allaah has made obedience to His Prophet a strict obligation, imposing upon people the absolute duty to follow his commands. Thus it is not permissible to say about anything that it is a strict obligation (fard) except about Allaah's Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) due to what we just said, namely, that Allaah has coupled belief in His Messenger with belief in Him. (al-Risala (p. 78))

Allaah (Exalted is He) mentions the Hikmaah in several ayaat:Allaah has surely blessed the believers with His favor when He raised in their midst a Messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His verses and makes them pure and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom, while they were, earlier in open error. (Soorah Al-Baqaraa:164)

He (Allaah) is the One who raised up, among the unlettered, a Messenger from among themselves who recites the verses of Allaah, and makes them pure, and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom. (Soorah al-Joomooa:2)

Here Hikmaah is followed straight after the mentioning of Kitaab (Book). According to the Quraniyyah, it should read as:He (Allaah) is the One who raised up, among the unlettered, a Messenger from among themselves who recites the verses of Allaah, and makes them pure, and teaches them the Book (Qur'aan) and the Wisdom (Qur'aan) (Soorah al-Joomooa:2)
This is grammatically incorrect since according to the Qur'aanic principle of mooghayaraa (differentiation), coupled words do not mean the same thing and indeed the Glorious Qur’aan is far above such mistakes.


Allaah (Exalted is He) says:Do they not then consider the Qur'aan carefully? Had it been from other than Allaah, they would surely have found therein much contradiction. (Soorah An Nisaa: 82)
Myth #3 The Glorious Qur’aan does not need any explanation; it is complete.

The Quraniyyah group often introduce this claim to establish that the Glorious Qur’aan does not need any expounding based on a couple of ayaat. They seemingly twist the tafseer of these ayaat and introduce their distorted interpretation.

The revelation (wahy) is one, meaning that they come from same source, but are distinguished between the unrecited wahy (ghayr matluww) which is the Sunnah and the recited wahy (wahy matluww) which is the Glorious Qur’aan.


Allaah (Exalted is He) says:He does not speak from his desires, Verily it is inspiration (unrecited revelation) which has been revealed. (Soorah an-Najm:3-4)

Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentions in his treatise:And the Sunnah with us are the aathaar (narrations) of the Messenger of Allaah (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Sunnah explains and clarifies the Qur’aan. It is the guide to the Qur’aan [containing evidences and indications as to its meanings and correct interpretations.]

Hassaan ibn Atiyyah said,Jibreel used to descend upon the Messenger of Allaah with the Sunnah just as he used to descend with the Qur’aan.

Reported in Ash-Sharh wal-Ibaanah of Ibn Battah, p. and Majmoo’ul-Fataawaa of Shaikhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, 3/366.

Ibn Katheer said,The Sunnah is decisive over the Book of Allaah.

Reported in ad-Daarimee, 1/144 and Ash-Sharh wal-lbaanah of Ibn Battah

Al-Suyuti says thatif one seeks the Quraan, he shall seek 'sunnah' because it is the commentary of the Quraan and its explanation

Daarimi saysthat the sunnah is a Judge upon the Qur'aan and not the Qur'aan upon Sunnah. (Musnad Daarimi)


Imaam Ghazzaali says:Allaah does not have two words, one in the Quraanic style which we are bidden to recite publicly, and called the Qur'aan, while the other word is not Qur'aan. Allaah has but one word which differs only in the mode of its expression. On occasions Allaah indicates His word by the Qur'aan; on others, by words in another style, not publicly recited (Sunnah), and called it the Sunnah. Both are mediated by the Prophet. (Mustasfa 1.125)


Ibn Khaldun explains:The basis of all the traditional sciences is the legal material of the Qur'aan and the sunnah of the Prophet, which is the Shariah given us by Allaah and His Messenger, as well as the sciences connected with that material, by means of which we are enabled to use it. This, further, requires as auxiliary sciences the sciences of the Arabic language [that is, grammar, rhetoric, lexicography, etc.]. Arabic is the language of Islaam and the Qur'an was revealed in it.


The different kinds of traditional sciences are numerous, because it is the duty of the responsible Muslim to know the legal obligations Allaah placed upon him and upon his fellow men. The are derived from the Qur'aan and the sunnah of the Prophet, either from the text itself or through general consensus, or a combination of the two. Thus he must first study the explicit wordingof the Quran. This is the science of Qur'aan interpretation. Then he must study the Quran, both with reference to the manner in which it has been transmitted and related on the authority of the Prophet who brought it from Allaah, and with reference to the differences in the readings of the Quran readers. This is the science of Quranic "reading."

Muqaddimah
Without the unrecited wahy (sunnah), some of the provisions of the Shariah would have been left untouched or subjected to everyone’s opinion irrespective of their knowledge. To name an example: the command to establish the second pillar which is the salaah.

Allaah (Exalted is He) has ordered more than 73 times to observe it and yet the explanation is nowhere mentioned in the Glorious Qur’aan. Hence, through the sunnah of the Prophet, we learn the exact way of observing the salaah.


Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) summed up the different aspects of explanations:The explanation of the Qur'aan has four aspects to it. The first aspect comprises what is known by the Arabs by virtue of their language. When it is recited to the Arabs, they understand it. Then there are the explanations that no one is excused for not knowing. This includes the explanation of the verses related to Islamic legal injunctions and beliefs that people need to know. Then there are the explanations that are known only to scholars. These are subtle meanings that most people do not grasp. Then there are matters whose explanation is known only to Allaah. These are the four aspects of the explanation of the Qur’aan

Tafseer at-Tabaree
Thus, the Sunnah is an exposition of the Glorious Qur'aan by which its generalities are clarified and its intended meaning specified.


Myth #4 The ahadeeth is not protected.

Another popular belief among the Quraniyyah and the ignorant Muslims is the myth that the ahadeeth are not protected.


They cite the ayah in Soorah al-Hijr as proof. A clear examination of the ayah proves that Allaah (Exalted is He) has promised to protect His religion which includes the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. The ayah is:Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr and surely, We will guard it (from corruption).(Sooraah al-Hijr:9)

Al-Dhikr mentioned in the ayah has numerous meanings in the Glorious Qur’aan, it is sometimes for the Glorious Qur'aan as inAnd this is a blessed Reminder (al-dhikr), which We have sent down: will you then (dare to) deny it? (Sooraah al-Anbiyaah:50)

And sometimes it is used for Sunnah, as in,With clear signs and Books (We sent the Messengers). And We have also sent down unto you the Dhikr, that you may tubayyina (explain clearly) to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought. (Soorah An-Nahl:44)

Ibn Hazm (May Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book ‘al-Ihkaam thatal-dhikr is a name that comprises all that Allaah revealed to His Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) be it the Qur'aan or the Sunnah. The Sunnah is also a revelation that explains the Qur'aan
Myth #5 Some authentic ahadeeth contradict the Glorious Qur’aan

Many Quraniyyah shift through the two saheeh volumes and assert that some ahadeeth contradict the Glorious Qur’aan. This reveals their lack of acquaintance with the ahadeeth sciences (Usool al-Hadeeth). They do not question that their interpretation might be erroneous and instead of looking at the commentaries of these ahadeeth, they brush them as ‘contradictory’ and thus ‘false’.

There are some apparent contradictions between narrations but that is because the sahabas narrated according to their own understanding of things that they have witnessed. A good example is the ahadeeth regarding Hajj (Pilgrimage). One of the narrators reported that the Prophet made an ifrad hajj because he heard the Prophet saying "I have presented myself in Your service to perform the Hajj". Others have narrated that the Prophet performed a qiran hajj. At the first glance, it seems contradictory since the qiran hajj is very different from the ifrad hajj, but in fact there are no contradictions between the narrations, since it is permissible for one performing qiran hajj to also say "I have presented myself in Your service to perform the Hajj"


Such apparant contradictions can cause confusions and hence why Allaah (Exalted is He) said in the Glorious Qur'aan to refer to ahl-quraan and the ahl-ahadeeth (ahl al-dhikr):then ask those who possess the Message (Ahl al-Dhikr) if you do not know. (Soorah Al-Anbiya:7)
The general public cannot identify whether the hadeeth is said in a general context or particular matter, or that it is absolute or restricted or that it is abrogating is abrogated. Only the scholars (May Allaah have mercy on them) know these matters and can distinguish which is which, contrary to the ignorant Muslims who spend all their time declaring ahadeeth that opposess their intellect as contradictory.

Conclusion

Even though I have not covered the major aspects of the Sunnah, some of the misconceptions addressed are often repeated by many Muslims who are deceived by the Quraniyyah websites.

One of the main reason that many Muslims reject the second source is because it conveys the huddud punishments such as stoning and flogging so they reject to suit the desires of their masters (the enemies of Islaam).

They are ashamed that they might be called 'backwards' by their peers so they try to misinterpret the Glorious Qur'aan and the Sunnah.


Allaah (Exalted is He) addresses this:Indeed, We have brought the Truth to you but most of them have a hatred for the Truth (al-Zukhruf:78)

And remember the words of the Prophet:Fa-tooba lil-ghurabaa (tooba is for the Strangers)
Praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds.

[Barracuda]

Excellent bro:up:

[Cashew]

Although I sincerely do not want to hijack this thread and turn it into another Shia/Sunni contrast-and-compare...

Am I to understand that Shiism has a distinct tradition of hadith wholly apart from that of Sunni Islam?

[Barracuda]

One who says that Ahadeeth are not absolutely protected is really saying that the Glorious Qur’aan is not protected!

Those who attack Islaam under pretext that Ahadeeth are not trustworthy and/or were complied later are certainly wrong. Later compilation does not means Ahadeeth never existed and/or were documents. Ahadeeth were recorded during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as proved above, later compilation means that they were put together in form of Books. This assumption of Hadeeth rejecters and enemies of Islaam is not correct because the process of protection and documentation of Ahadeeth had already started within the age of Prophethood itself as proved above, though it was compiled later. In addition to that Ahadeeth are really the explanation and the meanings of the Glorious Qur’aan. Thus, their protection is something, which Allaah has taken upon Himself. Therefore, how can it be possible that only the words of the Qur’aan remain protected while the meanings of the Qur’aan (i.e. Ahadeeth) go to waste?
Allaah (SWT) through humans used many means by which He preserved the Sunnah. Some of these aspects are unique to Muslim Ummaah. This is a great blessing and bounty from Allaah (SWT) for which every Muslim should be sincerely grateful to Allaah (SWT) and grateful to those individuals who sacrificed their time, wealth in order to preserve the teachings of the best of the creations and last and final Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Obviously, the means of preservation had to be followed from the earliest times in order to truly preserve the Hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) few are briefly mentioned here.
□ First, there was the understanding of the Companions about their responsibility for conveying the Hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW); they must have understood that they must convey the words of the Prophet (SAW) with the utmost accuracy.
□ In the early years, there began the work of Hadeeth criticism and criticism of the narrators. This developed into a science known as al-jarh wa al-tadeel.
□ There was also the recording or writing down of the Hadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Obviously, in general, one of the ways of preserving something is to record it. There have been many claim and misconceptions surrounding the recording of Hadith. But the proof has been cited above that shows that the misconceptions are not true.
□ A very important and unique aspect that worked to preserve the Sunnah was of the use of Isnaad or chain of narrators, tracing one’s source all the way back to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
□ Another unique phenomena that appeared and assisted in preservation of Sunnah was the traveling in search of Hadeeth, in order to check the sources and gather more Hadeeth together.

[Barracuda]

Ahadeeth were recorded during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) with his permission.

Al-Baghdaadi records a number of Ahadeeth that show that the Prophet (SAW) explicitly allowed the recording of his Ahadeeth. Following are some (not all) examples:

1. Al-Daarimi and Abu Dawood in their Sunans recorded that Abdullah Ibn al-As stated that they used to record everything they heard from the Prophet (SAW). They were warned against doing so as, it was argued, the Prophet (SAW) was a human being that may be angry at times and pleased at times. Abdullah stopped writing his Hadith until they could ask the Prophet (SAW) about this issue. The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) told him,

“Write [My Hadith] by the One in whose hand is my soul,
nothing leaves it [the Prophet’s (SAW) mouth] save the truth.”
[That is, whether he was angry or pleased what he spoke was always the truth]

According to Shaikh-ul-Hadith Al-Albaani, this Hadith is Saheeh (See Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani, Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood (Riyadh: Maktab al-Tarbiyyah al-Arabi li-Duwal al-Khaleej, 1989, vol. 2, p. 695)

2. Al-Bukhari, in his Saheeh, recorded that Abu Hurairah (RA) said, “One can find none of the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah relating more Ahadeeth than I, except Abdullah Ibn Amr because he used to record the Hadith while I did not do so.” Ibn Hajr, commenting on this Hadith, explained how Abu Hurairah (RA) could have narrated so many more Ahadeeth than Abdullah Ibn Amr. [See Ahmad Ibn Hajr, Fath al-Baari (Riyadh: Riaasah Idaarah al-Buhooth al-Ilmiyyah wa al-Ifta]

3. Al-Bukhari recorded that a person from Yemen came to the Prophet (SAW) on the day of the Conquest of Makkah and asked him if he could get the Prophet’s (SAW) speech recorded and the Prophet (SAW) approved and told someone, “Write it for the father of so and so.”

4. Al-Azami writes, “The Prophet (SAW) himself sent hundreds of letters. Many of these were very lengthy, containing formulas for prayers and worship.” These are, in reality, nothing more than Hadith of the Prophet (SAW). [Al-Azami, Early Hadith, p. 23. Muhammad Ibn Tooloon al-Dimishqi (880-953 A.H.) complied a number of such letters in a book: Muhammad Ibn Tooloon al-Dimishqi, Ilaam al-Saaileen an Kutub Sayyid al-Mursaleen (Beruit: Muassasah al-Risaalah, 1987, passim.]

There is no question, therefore, that the recording of the Hadith began during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). This practice of writing of Hadith continued after the death of the Messenger of Allaah (SAW). Al-Azami, in his work Studies of Early Hadith Literature, has listed and discussed some fifty Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who had recorded Hadith. [Al-Azami, Early Hadith, pp. 34-60.]

Note the following:

Abd Allah B. Abbas [RA] (3 B.H.-68 A.H.): He was so eager for knowledge that he would ask as many as 30 (Thirty) Companions about a single incident…It seems he wrote what he heard and sometimes even employed his slaves for this purpose…The following derived Hadith from him in written form: Ali b. Abdullah Ibn Abbas, Amr b. Dinar, Al-Hakam b. Miqsam, Ibn Abu Mulaikah, Ikrimah… Kuraib, Mujahid, Najdah, Said b. Jubair. [Al-Azami, Studies of Early Hadith, pp. 40-42 ** in Azami’s word “b” stands for bin/ibn {son of}]

Abd Allah B. Umar B. al-Khattab [RA] (10 B.H. – 74 A.H.): He transmitted a large number of Ahadeeth, and was so strict in relating them that he did not allow the order of a word to be changed even though it would not have altered the meaning… He had books, One Kitab (book), which belonged to Umar (RA), and was in his possession, was read to him by Nafi several times… The following derived Hadith from him in written form: Jamil b. Zaid al-Tai… Nafi client of Ibn Umar, Said b. Jubair, Abd al-Aziz b. Marwan, Abd al-Malik b. Marwan, Ubaid Allah b. Umar, Umar b. Ubaid Allah…[Azami, Studies of Early Hadith, pp. 45-46]

Al-Azami also compiled a list, discussing each personality, of forty-nine people of the “first century successors” who recorded Hadith [Al-Azami, Early Hadith, pp. 60-74].

Al-Azami goes on to list eighty-seven of “the scholars covering the late first and early second centuries” 251 people who collected and record Ahadeeth . Thus, Al-Azami has produced a list of 437 scholars who had recorded Ahadeeth, and all of them lived and died before the years 250 A.H.

To quote al-Azami, “Recent research has proved that almost all of the Ahadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was [[I]sic] written down in the life of the Companions, which stretched to the end of the first century.” [Al-Azami, Methodology, p. 30.]

There are over FIFTY Ayaat in Glorious Qur’aan about the “authority and importance” of the Sunnah. Following are the references for the readers from the Glorious Qur’aan according to the order of the Glorious Qur’aan (the Ayaat obliging the belief in Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are not included in the references:

2:129; 2:151; 2:231; 3:31; 3:32; 3:132; 3:164; 4:13; 4:14; 4:42; 4:59; 4:61; 4:64; 4:65; 4:69; 4:80; 4:1134:115; 5:92; 7:157; 7:158; 8:12-13; 8:20; 8:24; 9:71; 16:44; 24:48-52; 24:54; 24:56; 24:62; 24:63; 27:79; 33:21; 33:34; 33:36; 33:66; 33:71; 36:3-4; 42:3-4; 43:33; 48:10; 48:17; 49:1-2; 53:2-4; 58:5; 58:9; 59:7; 62:2; 64:12 & 72:23.

[Barracuda]

Who is quoted and who is quoting? (http://www.islam-is-the-only-solution.com/quoted.htm)

Many people imagine that Seerah سيرةالنبیis a branch of the science of Hadeeth حديث – (i.e. it is a collection of different events of the Prophet’s صلی الله عليه وسلم manners and habits as found in different Ahadeeth احاديث). But that is not the case, and we cannot say that no book has been composed on Seerah سيرةالنبی in which care is not taken for authenticity.

The very first question is, what is Seerah سيرةالنبی? In the earlier terminology of the Muhadditheen محدثين (scholars of Hadeeth حديث) and the arbab rijal ارباب رجال (biographers of narrators of Hadeeth حديث) the battles of Prophet Muhammad صلی الله عليه وسلم are known as Maghazi and Seerah سيرة. Accordingly, Ibn Ishaq’s (ابن اسحاق) book is called both, Maghazi and Seerah سيرة. Hafiz Ibn Hajar (حافظ ابن حجار) uses both these names for one book Fath al Bari (فتح الباری), Kitab Maghazi (كتاب مغازی). The same terminology is used in fiqh فقه (Jurisprudence). The chapter Kitab al Jihad wa al-Sayr in the books of fiqh فقه employs the word Seerah سيرة to refer to the injunctions of the battles and Jihad جهاد.

Dimiyati دمياتی is a well-known scholar of Hadeeth حديث, he wrote a book on Seerah سيرة, which is available today as well. He has often agreed with the writers of Seerah سيرة; but when he investigated deeply, he learned the authentic Ahadeeth احاديث should be preferred to account Seerah سيرة. He wished to correct his books but innumerable had been printed already and he could not correct them all. Ibn Hajar ابن حجار has quoted Dimyati دمياتی,


ودل هذا علی انه كان يعتقد الرجوع عن كثير مما وافق فيه اهل السيرو خالف الاحاديث الصحيحة وان ذلك كان به قبل تضلعه منها ولخروج نسخ كتابه وانتشاره لم يتمكن من تغييره

We learn from it that he (Dimyati دمياتی) had resolved to retract everywhere he had preferred the biographers over authentic Ahadeeth احاديث. He had done that before he had gained competency in the science and he could not correct his writings because his book had already been printed.”


Ibn Hajar ابن حجار has then written:

“The substance of this discussion is that Seerah سيرة is a learning by itself and not the same as the science of Hadeeth حديث. The same care is not exercised in reporting them as was done for the six books of Saheeh Ahadeeth صحيح احاديث. We can say by way of example that the learning of fiqh فقه is based on Qur’aan قرآن and Hadeeth حديث but we cannot say that it is the same thing as Qur’aan قرآن or Hadeeth حديث or parallel to them…”

Having said that, I must emphasize that Muslims should not be discouraged and/or confused when some disinformation and/or questionable claims are made by anti-Islaam elements to attack and demonize Islaam. The rule is simple, i.e. outright reject the references and/or quotes from the English translations done by non-Muslims of Seerah سيرة books and/or work. Since it has no bearing over Islaamic creed and/or Islaam unless it is supported and/or authenticated by the Glorious Qur’aan and authentic Ahadeeth صحيح احاديث. Glorious Qur’aan, Sunnah and Ahadeeth صحيح احاديث takes precedent over any Seerah سيرة, not other way around.

[Ibn Sina]

Although I sincerely do not want to hijack this thread and turn it into another Shia/Sunni contrast-and-compare...

Am I to understand that Shiism has a distinct tradition of hadith wholly apart from that of Sunni Islam?

Yeah they have their own ahadeeth books, I don't know if its completley different but it probably is since they like to criticize our ahadeeth books n stuff ....

[Marwan]

I didn't read all the articles (I noticed some came from Islamic awareness-good site), but here is my POV.

No where is it written that there are 6 Saheehayn. Apart from Sahih Bukhari & Muslim, the other 4 share as much authenticity as the ahadith compilation from other sources. In ther words, there are sahih ahadith and there are da'eef ahadith in these books. There are books that are even more Sahih than these 4.

[Barracuda]

There are six famous books of Ahadeeth احاديث which are called Six Principle Works الاصول السته or sometimes الصحاح السته ‘The Six Authentic Books.’ These six books of sahih Ahadeeth احاديث declared to be the best in terms of their accuracy, utility and general acceptance. ‘الصحاح السته The Six Authentic Books’ consists of the following:

Sahih Bukhari
Sahih Muslim
At-Tirmidhi
Abu Da’ud or Abu Dawud [Sunan]*
an-Nasa’i [Sunan]*
Ibn Majah
* Sunan is a book in which there are Ahadeeth احاديث related to laws and orders namely Sunan Abu Dawud and Sunan an-Nasa’i.

[Marwan]

Akhi, there are many books that share or even excel in terms of its authenticity to the last 4 mentioned ie Musnad of Imam Ahmad.

[Ibn Sina]

Yeah but these are considered the 6 standard ones, there are way more books than just these 6 .....

[.: Anna :.]

this is wat i was gna add

The Muslim literary tradition comprises not just the Hadiths but also seera texts (biography), grammatical texts and much more. However, for the purpose of this paper, I will take the Muslim literary tradition to be referring specifically to Hadith literature. The Hadiths (in Arabic ahadith), are described in Islam as being narrations of the Prophet Muhammad:saw: The word Hadith has a linguistic and a technical meaning. Linguistically it refers to any utterance or speech.[1] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn1) A more technical definition is that ahadith are that which ‘was transmitted on the authority of the Prophet, his deeds, sayings, tacit approval, or description of his sifaat (features) meaning his physical appearance.’[2] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn2)
Since the time of the Prophet:saw:, the ahadith have been of utmost importance to the Muslims, and have been used for a variety of purposes. Amongst these reasons is the gathering of biographical information, and gaining insight about the exegesis of the Quran and the asbaab an nuzool (the situations in which certain ayahs or surahs were revealed.) It could be argued that most important of use of the ahadith is that they are a major source of Islamic law. Western scholars however have restricted themselves mostly to the use of the ahadith as a historical source. For historians focusing on the Early Islamic Era, the ahadith are a source which can not be overlooked as there are not many alternative comprehensive sources from the time available.[3] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn3) Other sources from the same era such as papyri, archaeology and Christian writings have been described as being fragmentary or representing very specific or even eccentric perspectives.[4] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn4)

Both Muslim and Non Muslim scholars using the ahadith have devised their own methods of checking their reliability and authenticity. The Muslim Muhaddithoon (Hadith scholars) have always attached a great importance to the isnad (chain of narration.). This is a characteristic feature of Arabic literature and is not confined only to the Habits. Such a high importance has been attached to the isnad that there are many saying in praise of it. For example, Auza’i (d.157) has said “The departure of knowledge is simply the departure of the isnad.” And Abdullah b. Al- Mubarak (d. 181) has said “The isnad pertains to the religion; were it not for the isnad, whoever wished would say what he wanted.”[5] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn5) As a result of the importance given to the isnad, the Muslims developed a unique science to evaluate the isnads and the ahadith as a whole. This is called ‘ilm al jarh wal ta’dil (the science of the positive and negative factors that accept Hadith narrator’s acceptability.)[6] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn6) They have many aids in this scholarly discipline, such as the literature of asma al rijal (the names of narrators), literature of usul al hadith (methodology of hadith) and on the mawdu’at (forgeries.)[7] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn7) The spirit of this science was one of conservation. The muhaddithoon viewed themselves as transmitters of knowledge rather than as creators of anything new.[8] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn8)

It has been more common amongst non Muslim historians to evaluate or date the Hadith traditions through looking only at the matn (the body of the narration) without consideration to the isnad. An example of such would be the work of the Hungarian scholar Ignaz Goldziher who begun the modern study of the Hadith in the West in the late 19th century.[9] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn9) Goldziher’s methods can be divided into a general dating of the Hadith traditions as a whole, and the dating of any specific single Hadith. As a result of his studies, Goldziher formulated the opinion that the bulk of traditions have little historical worth for studying the time of the Prophet:saw:. Rather he asserts that they actually originated in the Umayyad times, and the first century of the Abbasid caliphate, and is willing to accept them as a source for only for that later era.[10] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn10)

Later some Non Muslim historians did begin to evaluate the isnads. This was popularised primarily by Joseph Schacht who set out five general rules to use for such evaluation.[11] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn11) His conclusions supported those of Goldziher, as he asserted that no existing Hadith could be ascribed to the Prophet :saw:. His conclusion on the isnads was that those going all the way back to the Prophet :saw: had begun to be used only in the mid 2nd/8th century. In addition he claimed that the more complete and formally correct an isnad, the more likely it was a forgery.[12] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn12)

However Goldziher’s methods and conclusions have been criticised even by other non Muslim scholars. Harald Motzki uses the example of Goldziher’s pigeon racing anecdote. This is an incident in which a scholar at the court of the Caliph al Mahdi (158-169 A.H / 775-785 A.D) apparently changed a Hadith, adding one word to make the sport of pigeon racing permissible. Goldziher uses such single incidents to form a conclusion about the bulk of ahadith. He was criticised for this as he has not even proved that this distorted Hadith was taken seriously by the Muslim scholars or that it made its way into the authentic collections. This is also an example of how Goldziher, and other scholars using similar methodologies, present as fact what is merely a possibility. Even if this anecdote is true, it is not logically sound to come to the conclusion that all the ahadith are forgeries, or even that the bulk of them are forgeries. He would only be able to make a reliable conclusion about this single Hadith.[13] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn13)
The fact that one of Goldziher’s four principles is that when the Prophet :saw: or the early Muslims appear in a tradition in an unfavourable light, he accepts it as authentic and early shows his bias. When he hears something which supports his preconceived views or his desired conclusion, he accepts it without questioning its authenticity, as was just demonstrated with the pigeon anecdote.

A number of modern Western scholars are of the view that none of the ahadith are authentic from the time of the Prophet :saw:.However it is not difficult to conceive that the people of the time would have made records of the Prophet’s :saw: actions, as he was seen as an important figure throughout his lifetime. Surely it would be unexpected if nothing had been recorded regarding him. During his :saw: life the non Muslim members of the Quraysh tribe were hostile towards him and perceived him as a great threat. As a result of this they kept him under close surveillance. This can be seen as they discovered his :saw: secret plans, such as the plans for migration of the Muslims to Abyssinia and later to Yathrib (known after the Prophet’s :saw: migration there as Madina.)[14] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn14)

It is also not unsuprising that his :saw: follower’s interest in his actions and sayings would be yet more intense. For these people religion was the most important factor of their lives. This was a common way of viewing religion during the Late Antiquity period and no less during the early Islamic period. The companions have been described as constantly observing, endlessly discussing and avid for every scrap of information which they regarded as indispensable to the salvation of their mortal souls.[15] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn15) Some specific examples of such behaviour is that Zayd b. Khalid spent a whole night at the Prophet’s :saw: door in order to observe him performing his night prayers, and Abu Sa’id al Khudri observed carefully the length of time he :saw: remained standing during his afternoon prayers.[16] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn16) Of course the Western scholars would be likely not to accept these examples, claiming that they have been forged in order to support the idea of authenticity of the ahadith.

One of the main arguments put forward to claim that the ahadith did not originate until some time after the death of the Prophet :saw: is that they were not collected in writing until later. It is not true that no ahadith were recorded in writing at the time, as some of the Prophet’s :saw: companions collected them in notebooks known as Sahifas and used the notes as a basis for lectures.[17] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn17) It is known that Abdullah b. Amr b. Al Aas used to collect ahadith in writing and other companions such as Abu Hurayra, the most prolific narrator of Hadith, recorded their collections in writing during their lifetimes.[18] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn18)

It is also known that the Arabs of this time did not place as great importance on writing things down as Western society places on the written word today, preferring instead to memorise and store their knowledge in their minds. In fact the mentality of memorising important information, rather than storing it only in books, is still strong within the Muslim community. This is demonstrated in the practise of hifdh meaning the memorisation of the complete text of the Quran. Therefore it is not surprising that it was not the general trend at the time of the Prophet :saw: for everyone to record their collections in writing until later. Especially considering that the literacy rate in that time was much lower than today. Nor is it sensible to reject a body of information because it had been preserved first in the minds of the people rather than on paper. It can even be argued that the fact of information being stored in collective memory makes it less likely to be changed or distorted. A text could be altered slightly by adding or changing a word but when there are many people who have learned it by heart; they would immediately notice any alteration. However it must be remembered that this importance given to memorisation could and did coexist with a willingness to dispense knowledge in writing, as the people’s need for this increased.[19] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn19)

By disregarding the body of ahadith as unauthentic and of little or no historical worth as a source for the earliest period of Islam, many historians are depriving themselves of what is considered by Muslims as a most valuable body of information and knowledge. By doing this, they are leaving themselves effectively with a knowledge vacuum of that time because of the lack of other source material available. Even if there had been a vast amount of non Muslim sources in existence, one could question the value of a study of a religion or religious history which lacks any consideration to how those inside the religion actually view and understand it. It seems some of these historians are not willing to consider the idea that the positive portrayal of the Prophet and the companions :saw: in the ahadith could have a factual basis. At the same time, Muslim scholars and everyday Muslim people as a whole are not willing to accept the thesis of modern western scholars which disregard the ahadith as forgeries. In Islam it is compulsory to accept those ahadith which have been regarded as Sahih (sound) by the muhaddithoon. This is because the Quran commands Muslims to “Obey Allah and obey the Prophet”[20] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn20) and says “Whoever obeys the Prophet, he has obeyed Allah.”[21] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn21) As a result of this, it is likely that there will be a continuing difference of opinion between the Muslims and between these Western scholars who have begun their study and commentary on the Hadith in recent times. Each group is unlikely to convince the other of their views.


Bibliography

1. An Introduction to the Hadith by John Burton
2. Hadith Literature – Its origin, development and special feature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi
3. Studies in Early Hadith Literature – with a critical edition of some early texts by Dr. Mohammad Mustafa Azmi
4. The Isnad in Muslim tradition by James Robson
5. Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature by Muhammad Mustafa Azami
6. Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period by Tarif Khalidi
7. Dating Muslim Traditions: A survey by Harold Motzki
8. Islamic History: A Framework for Enquiry by R. Stephen Humphreys
9. The Falacies of Anti Hadith Arguments by Shaykh Shahidullah Faridi
10. http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/ (http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/) [University of Southern California]
11. Qur’an

[1] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref1) Page 29 An Introduction to the Hadith by John Burton

[2] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref2) Studies in Early Hadith Literature – with a critical edition of some early texts by Dr. Mohammad Mustafa Azmi
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/

[3] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref3) Dating Muslim Traditions: A survey by Harold Motzki

[4] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref4) Page 216 Islamic History: A Framework for Enquiry by R. Stephen Humphreys

[5] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref5)Page 161 The Isnad in Muslim tradition by James Robson

[6] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref6) Page 32-33 Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature by Muhammad Mustafa Azami

[7] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref7) Page 4 Hadith Literature – Its origin, development and special feature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi

[8] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref8) Page 25 Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period by Tarif Khalidi

[9] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref9) Page 18 An Introduction to the Hadith by John Burton

[10] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref10) Page 206-207 Dating Muslim Traditions: A survey by Harold Motzki

[11] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref11) Page 219 Ibid

[12] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref12) Page 83 Islamic History: A Framework for Enquiry by R. Stephen Humphreys

[13] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref13) Page 209 Dating Muslim Traditions: A survey by Harold Motzki


[14] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref14) Page 3 Hadith Literature – Its origin, development and special feature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi

[15] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref15) Page 19 An Introduction to the Hadith by John Burton

[16] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref16) Page 3 Hadith Literature – Its origin, development and special feature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi

[17] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref17) Ibid

[18] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref18) The Falacies of anti Hadith arguments answered by Shaykh Shahidullah Faridi

[19] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref19) Page 27 Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period by Tarif Khalidi

[20] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref20) Quran 5:92 [surat al maida] وَأَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ

[21] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref21) Ibid 4:80 [surat an nisaa] مَّنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللّهَ

[Barracuda]

Subhan Allah, excellent post sis:up:

[Barracuda]

Khayr Al-Usool Fi Hadith Al-Rasool (http://www.islam-is-the-only-solution.com/hadith.htm)

When were the Ahadeeth recorded? (http://www.islam-is-the-only-solution.com/record.htm)

[Ibn Sina]

this is wat i was gna add

The Muslim literary tradition comprises not just the Hadiths but also seera texts (biography), grammatical texts and much more. However, for the purpose of this paper, I will take the Muslim literary tradition to be referring specifically to Hadith literature. The Hadiths (in Arabic ahadith), are described in Islam as being narrations of the Prophet Muhammad:saw: The word Hadith has a linguistic and a technical meaning. Linguistically it refers to any utterance or speech.[1] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn1) A more technical definition is that ahadith are that which ‘was transmitted on the authority of the Prophet, his deeds, sayings, tacit approval, or description of his sifaat (features) meaning his physical appearance.’[2] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn2)
Since the time of the Prophet:saw:, the ahadith have been of utmost importance to the Muslims, and have been used for a variety of purposes. Amongst these reasons is the gathering of biographical information, and gaining insight about the exegesis of the Quran and the asbaab an nuzool (the situations in which certain ayahs or surahs were revealed.) It could be argued that most important of use of the ahadith is that they are a major source of Islamic law. Western scholars however have restricted themselves mostly to the use of the ahadith as a historical source. For historians focusing on the Early Islamic Era, the ahadith are a source which can not be overlooked as there are not many alternative comprehensive sources from the time available.[3] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn3) Other sources from the same era such as papyri, archaeology and Christian writings have been described as being fragmentary or representing very specific or even eccentric perspectives.[4] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn4)

Both Muslim and Non Muslim scholars using the ahadith have devised their own methods of checking their reliability and authenticity. The Muslim Muhaddithoon (Hadith scholars) have always attached a great importance to the isnad (chain of narration.). This is a characteristic feature of Arabic literature and is not confined only to the Habits. Such a high importance has been attached to the isnad that there are many saying in praise of it. For example, Auza’i (d.157) has said “The departure of knowledge is simply the departure of the isnad.” And Abdullah b. Al- Mubarak (d. 181) has said “The isnad pertains to the religion; were it not for the isnad, whoever wished would say what he wanted.”[5] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn5) As a result of the importance given to the isnad, the Muslims developed a unique science to evaluate the isnads and the ahadith as a whole. This is called ‘ilm al jarh wal ta’dil (the science of the positive and negative factors that accept Hadith narrator’s acceptability.)[6] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn6) They have many aids in this scholarly discipline, such as the literature of asma al rijal (the names of narrators), literature of usul al hadith (methodology of hadith) and on the mawdu’at (forgeries.)[7] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn7) The spirit of this science was one of conservation. The muhaddithoon viewed themselves as transmitters of knowledge rather than as creators of anything new.[8] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn8)

It has been more common amongst non Muslim historians to evaluate or date the Hadith traditions through looking only at the matn (the body of the narration) without consideration to the isnad. An example of such would be the work of the Hungarian scholar Ignaz Goldziher who begun the modern study of the Hadith in the West in the late 19th century.[9] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn9) Goldziher’s methods can be divided into a general dating of the Hadith traditions as a whole, and the dating of any specific single Hadith. As a result of his studies, Goldziher formulated the opinion that the bulk of traditions have little historical worth for studying the time of the Prophet:saw:. Rather he asserts that they actually originated in the Umayyad times, and the first century of the Abbasid caliphate, and is willing to accept them as a source for only for that later era.[10] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn10)

Later some Non Muslim historians did begin to evaluate the isnads. This was popularised primarily by Joseph Schacht who set out five general rules to use for such evaluation.[11] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn11) His conclusions supported those of Goldziher, as he asserted that no existing Hadith could be ascribed to the Prophet :saw:. His conclusion on the isnads was that those going all the way back to the Prophet :saw: had begun to be used only in the mid 2nd/8th century. In addition he claimed that the more complete and formally correct an isnad, the more likely it was a forgery.[12] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn12)

However Goldziher’s methods and conclusions have been criticised even by other non Muslim scholars. Harald Motzki uses the example of Goldziher’s pigeon racing anecdote. This is an incident in which a scholar at the court of the Caliph al Mahdi (158-169 A.H / 775-785 A.D) apparently changed a Hadith, adding one word to make the sport of pigeon racing permissible. Goldziher uses such single incidents to form a conclusion about the bulk of ahadith. He was criticised for this as he has not even proved that this distorted Hadith was taken seriously by the Muslim scholars or that it made its way into the authentic collections. This is also an example of how Goldziher, and other scholars using similar methodologies, present as fact what is merely a possibility. Even if this anecdote is true, it is not logically sound to come to the conclusion that all the ahadith are forgeries, or even that the bulk of them are forgeries. He would only be able to make a reliable conclusion about this single Hadith.[13] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn13)
The fact that one of Goldziher’s four principles is that when the Prophet :saw: or the early Muslims appear in a tradition in an unfavourable light, he accepts it as authentic and early shows his bias. When he hears something which supports his preconceived views or his desired conclusion, he accepts it without questioning its authenticity, as was just demonstrated with the pigeon anecdote.

A number of modern Western scholars are of the view that none of the ahadith are authentic from the time of the Prophet :saw:.However it is not difficult to conceive that the people of the time would have made records of the Prophet’s :saw: actions, as he was seen as an important figure throughout his lifetime. Surely it would be unexpected if nothing had been recorded regarding him. During his :saw: life the non Muslim members of the Quraysh tribe were hostile towards him and perceived him as a great threat. As a result of this they kept him under close surveillance. This can be seen as they discovered his :saw: secret plans, such as the plans for migration of the Muslims to Abyssinia and later to Yathrib (known after the Prophet’s :saw: migration there as Madina.)[14] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn14)

It is also not unsuprising that his :saw: follower’s interest in his actions and sayings would be yet more intense. For these people religion was the most important factor of their lives. This was a common way of viewing religion during the Late Antiquity period and no less during the early Islamic period. The companions have been described as constantly observing, endlessly discussing and avid for every scrap of information which they regarded as indispensable to the salvation of their mortal souls.[15] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn15) Some specific examples of such behaviour is that Zayd b. Khalid spent a whole night at the Prophet’s :saw: door in order to observe him performing his night prayers, and Abu Sa’id al Khudri observed carefully the length of time he :saw: remained standing during his afternoon prayers.[16] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn16) Of course the Western scholars would be likely not to accept these examples, claiming that they have been forged in order to support the idea of authenticity of the ahadith.

One of the main arguments put forward to claim that the ahadith did not originate until some time after the death of the Prophet :saw: is that they were not collected in writing until later. It is not true that no ahadith were recorded in writing at the time, as some of the Prophet’s :saw: companions collected them in notebooks known as Sahifas and used the notes as a basis for lectures.[17] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn17) It is known that Abdullah b. Amr b. Al Aas used to collect ahadith in writing and other companions such as Abu Hurayra, the most prolific narrator of Hadith, recorded their collections in writing during their lifetimes.[18] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn18)

It is also known that the Arabs of this time did not place as great importance on writing things down as Western society places on the written word today, preferring instead to memorise and store their knowledge in their minds. In fact the mentality of memorising important information, rather than storing it only in books, is still strong within the Muslim community. This is demonstrated in the practise of hifdh meaning the memorisation of the complete text of the Quran. Therefore it is not surprising that it was not the general trend at the time of the Prophet :saw: for everyone to record their collections in writing until later. Especially considering that the literacy rate in that time was much lower than today. Nor is it sensible to reject a body of information because it had been preserved first in the minds of the people rather than on paper. It can even be argued that the fact of information being stored in collective memory makes it less likely to be changed or distorted. A text could be altered slightly by adding or changing a word but when there are many people who have learned it by heart; they would immediately notice any alteration. However it must be remembered that this importance given to memorisation could and did coexist with a willingness to dispense knowledge in writing, as the people’s need for this increased.[19] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn19)

By disregarding the body of ahadith as unauthentic and of little or no historical worth as a source for the earliest period of Islam, many historians are depriving themselves of what is considered by Muslims as a most valuable body of information and knowledge. By doing this, they are leaving themselves effectively with a knowledge vacuum of that time because of the lack of other source material available. Even if there had been a vast amount of non Muslim sources in existence, one could question the value of a study of a religion or religious history which lacks any consideration to how those inside the religion actually view and understand it. It seems some of these historians are not willing to consider the idea that the positive portrayal of the Prophet and the companions :saw: in the ahadith could have a factual basis. At the same time, Muslim scholars and everyday Muslim people as a whole are not willing to accept the thesis of modern western scholars which disregard the ahadith as forgeries. In Islam it is compulsory to accept those ahadith which have been regarded as Sahih (sound) by the muhaddithoon. This is because the Quran commands Muslims to “Obey Allah and obey the Prophet”[20] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn20) and says “Whoever obeys the Prophet, he has obeyed Allah.”[21] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftn21) As a result of this, it is likely that there will be a continuing difference of opinion between the Muslims and between these Western scholars who have begun their study and commentary on the Hadith in recent times. Each group is unlikely to convince the other of their views.


Bibliography

1. An Introduction to the Hadith by John Burton
2. Hadith Literature – Its origin, development and special feature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi
3. Studies in Early Hadith Literature – with a critical edition of some early texts by Dr. Mohammad Mustafa Azmi
4. The Isnad in Muslim tradition by James Robson
5. Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature by Muhammad Mustafa Azami
6. Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period by Tarif Khalidi
7. Dating Muslim Traditions: A survey by Harold Motzki
8. Islamic History: A Framework for Enquiry by R. Stephen Humphreys
9. The Falacies of Anti Hadith Arguments by Shaykh Shahidullah Faridi
10. http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/ (http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/) [University of Southern California]
11. Qur’an

[1] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref1) Page 29 An Introduction to the Hadith by John Burton

[2] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref2) Studies in Early Hadith Literature – with a critical edition of some early texts by Dr. Mohammad Mustafa Azmi
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/

[3] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref3) Dating Muslim Traditions: A survey by Harold Motzki

[4] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref4) Page 216 Islamic History: A Framework for Enquiry by R. Stephen Humphreys

[5] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref5)Page 161 The Isnad in Muslim tradition by James Robson

[6] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref6) Page 32-33 Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature by Muhammad Mustafa Azami

[7] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref7) Page 4 Hadith Literature – Its origin, development and special feature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi

[8] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref8) Page 25 Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period by Tarif Khalidi

[9] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref9) Page 18 An Introduction to the Hadith by John Burton

[10] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref10) Page 206-207 Dating Muslim Traditions: A survey by Harold Motzki

[11] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref11) Page 219 Ibid

[12] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref12) Page 83 Islamic History: A Framework for Enquiry by R. Stephen Humphreys

[13] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref13) Page 209 Dating Muslim Traditions: A survey by Harold Motzki


[14] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref14) Page 3 Hadith Literature – Its origin, development and special feature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi

[15] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref15) Page 19 An Introduction to the Hadith by John Burton

[16] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref16) Page 3 Hadith Literature – Its origin, development and special feature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi

[17] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref17) Ibid

[18] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref18) The Falacies of anti Hadith arguments answered by Shaykh Shahidullah Faridi

[19] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref19) Page 27 Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period by Tarif Khalidi

[20] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref20) Quran 5:92 [surat al maida] وَأَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ

[21] (http://www.ummah.com/forum/#_ftnref21) Ibid 4:80 [surat an nisaa] مَّنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللّهَ

Did you write this yourself :shock: