HAADI-UL-ISLAM : Daarul-Hadith

*Daarul Hadith.*

Home. Sahih Bukhari Sahih Muslim Al-Muwatta Hadith Qudsi Shama'il Tirmizi biographies Faza'il-e-'Amaal I Faza'il-e-'Amaal II	Introduction. Imam Nawawi's Introduction Classification Of Hadith WHAT IS HADITH? Hadith or Traditions are the records of the utterances, discourses, practices , usages, sayings and the way of life led by Nabi Muhammad (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) ever since he atained prophethood in the 40th year of his life. Besides this any action done in his presence by the Sahaba (R.A) Companions of the prophet and tacitly approved and not prohibited by the Prophet (S.A.W) also falls within the defination of Hadith. These form the pattern, model or ideal to be followed by every true Muslim in his daily life. Literally the word hadith means 'statement'. It was also known as the 'Sunnah', meaning a practice or custom. Literally, 'Sunnah' means a mode of life. TYPES OF HADITH Knowing the role the Ahaadeeth (plural of Hadith) played in the Islamic Sharia'ah, the Muhaadditheen have therefore classified the Ahaadeeth into 3 types: 1. Sahih Ahaadeeth 2. Hasan Ahaadeeth 3. Za'eef Ahadeeth SAHIH AHADEETH: Sound or most authentic traditions related by narrators of unimpeachable integrity having no defective memory. Here the 'isnaad' authorities should be carried uninterruptedly to the Sahab (R.A) or the Prophet (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam). HASAN AHAADEETH: Good but less authentic than the first category. Here the 'isnaad' or chain of narrators has one weak link, but which is confirmed by other versions and does not disagree with what is generally reported. ZA'EEF AHADEETH: That which does not contain the qualities of a Sahih nor Hasan Hadith. These Ahadeeth have further been subdivided into various types because the text or chain of narrators may be weak. The following are also types of Ahaadeeth: (a) HADITH-E-NABAWI: or a simple saying of the Prophet (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam). (b) HADITH-E-QUDSEE: A saying having reference to divinve direction. THE IMPORTANCE OF HADITH Apart from teaching the Quran to the Sahaba (R.A), one addtional task was assigned to the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam). And that was to teach the meaning of the Holy Quran and the object of revelation. The Prophet (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) had to elucidate the hidden meaning of certain verses and to explain in detail the rules and regulations revealed in the Holy Quran. This object is clearly illustrated in the following verse : It is not possible to know the true meaning of the many laws until a thorough study of Ahaadeeth is made. It is therefore impossible to perform Salaah or to observe fast or pay one's Zakaah or even to perform Hajj if one is not acquainted with the Ahaadeeth. The importance of Ahaadeeth is futher elucidated in the following Hadith of Rasoolullah (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam): "Jaabir (RA) reports that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) said in the Hajjatul-Widaa' (Farewell Pilgrimage) that he had left among them 2 things, which, if adhered to, they would never be misguided viz: 1. The Qur'aan, 2. His Sunnah or Hadith. NEED OF HADITH Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'aan: "We have not sent thee but as a Universal (Messenger) to men". Surah 34-Verse 28 Such a person necessarily had to possess tremendous potential, a high degree of moral character, exceptional characteristics of head and heart and mighty power of insight for the upliftment of humanity for functioning as a World-Prophet after whom there was no necessity of any other reformer. The choice of Allah Ta'ala for the achievement of this end fell upon the unique and blessed personality of Muhammad (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) who has been acclaimed by the greatest of thinkers as the saviour of the fallen humanity and the most successful Messenger of the Supreme Being. Some of the appreciations of the non-Muslim writers about him are given below: WILFRED CANTWELL SMITH: "Once and for all a final clear statement of His truth and his Justice was sent down; a messenger was chosen who would deliver it, intepret it, live it with undeviated precision," and that was Muhammad (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam). BERNARD SHAW: "Muhammed was a saviour of humanity, the Mercy of all men, a blessing for all men and an exemplar in every age". GIBBON IN 'THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE' 1823 :The good sense of Muhammad despised the pomp of royalty. The Apostle of God submitted to the menial offices of the family; he kindled the fire; swept the floor; milked the ewes; and mended with his own hands his shoes and garments. Disdaining the penance and merit of a hermit, he observed without effort of vanity the abstemious diet of an Arab ALPHONSE DE LAMARTAINE IN 'HISTORIE DE LA TURQUIE, 'PARIS, 1854: "If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astonishing results are the three criteria of a human genius, who could dare compare any great man in history with Muhammad? "Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Conqueror of Ideas, Restorer of Rational beliefs.... The founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?" M.K. GANDHI, statement published in 'Young India, '1924 : I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind.... I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of that great life. PRESERVATION OF HADITH The importance of Hadith has been detailed already and it has been established that Hadith was nothing short of revelation. DURING THE LIFE TIME OF RASOOLULLAH (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) Since Hadhrat Muhammad (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) was selected by Allah Ta'ala to be a World-Prophet, he was given the wisdom and insight to illustrate and explain every eventuality in a man's life and to solve problems from all angles for the benefit of mankind. For this purpose he had to utilise all possible resources that were available to him. Apart from what he declared in public, his doing in his private life, too, had to be known. It is for this reason that he took several wives from different tribes, and mostly older widows with mature judgement, not only with the idea of cementing friendly ties with those tribes but also for the purpose of their observing his acts at home closely and to pass them on faithfully to the public at large. Without appreciating this real purpose, non-Muslim writers have levelled criticism against the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) for taking so many wives, thereby suggesting that he was a sensual man. Blinded by prejudice they could not understand the practical wisdom of his marriages. Those marriages helped in greater degree the propogation of his ideals and teachings through which innumerable traditions were reported, especially those related exclusively to domestic life, and could be conveyed only through them. A very large number of Ahaadeeth have been reported by Hadhrat Aishah (radhiyallaahu-anha) who had a remarkable memory and who lived for 48 years after his death. Besides the Prophet's (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) wives, there were other members of his family who were all instrumental in reporting what they had observed in his private life. Then there was Hadhrat Bilaal (radhiyallahu-anhu) who was the Mu'azzin of the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) and who was much attached to him. A group of poor companions known as Ashaabus-Suffah, resided in the corner of the Masjidun-Nabawi and dedicated their lives to the study of Islam and had the privilege of being constantly in the company of the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam). Further they had no other work to attend to. Amongst them was the famous narrator Abu-Hurairah, meaning "father of the cat" because of his tenderness for cats. He was a poor man and possessed nothing, and was therefore the guest of the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam). People were astonished as to how he could memorise so many Ahaadeeth, but the fact was that he was constantly with the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) and had no worries about earning his livelihood. In the book "Kanzul-Ummaal", ommiting repetitions 32,000 Ahaadeeth are recorded of which those reported by Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (RA) are 5,374. From these figures his importance as a narrator can well be appreciated. AFTER THE DEATH OF THE PROPHET (SAW) First Century: There were the Sahabah (RA) who were faithful and who believed in the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) implicitly as the true Prophet of Allah Ta'ala and loved him more than their own selves. They were ever ready to pick up and preserve the gems that fell from his lips. Mention may be made of the first four Khalifahs (RA). Further, there are a number of reports of Ahaadeeth by such companions as Abu Ayyoob Ansaari, Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Mas'ood, Anas bin Maalik, Jaabir bin Abdullah, Sa'ad bin Waqqaas. Zaid bin thaabit. Ubay bin Ka'ab (radhiyallaahu-anhum) etc. Abu Zar Raazi (RA) states that more than 100,000 people had met and heard the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam), representing both sexes, and such persons later narrated these incidents to their less fortunate brethren who were deprived of this advantage. The second Khaliph, Hadhrat Umar (radhiyallaahu-anhu) sent out such companions who had long associations with the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) as teachers to the four corners fo the Muslim empire and the names of Abdullah bin Mas'ood (RA) and Abu-Hurairah (RA) are mentioned in this connection. This arracngement was prompted by the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam), saying that his preachings should be conveyed to those who were not present and that such an act would be rewarded by Allah Ta'ala. He also warned that if anyone attributed any saying to him which was not uttered by the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) his place would be in Hell. This acted as a deterrent against mis-representation and fabrications. An allegation made by Western Christian Orientalists has been given great publicity which gives the idea that the Ahaadeeth were not recorded till a hundered years after the Prophet's (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) death and that they were preserved only in the memories of the companions. Sprenger, a European scholar of Hadith, affirms that the above opinion is incorrect. His view is corroborated by Godziher. Both confirm that Ahaadeeth were preserved in books called "Sahifas". Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-Aas had collected a thousand sayings which he called As-Saadiqah. Hadhrat Ali (RA) had another "Sahifah" which was named Al-Qada'yah. Again the Sahifa of Humam is recognised as based on the writings of Hadhrat abu Hurairah (RA). Once the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) told Abdullah bin Umar (RA) that he should write whatever the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) said. Meanwhile the Muslim empire had extended far and wide and there was a scope for mischief-mongers to coin false Hadith and mix them with the true ones. This state of affairs did not last long as Hadhrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA) (101 AH) entrusted this task to the Ulama. Ibne Shihaab Az-Zuhri (RA) was the first regular compiler of the Ahaadeeth. There was another compiler Abu Bakr bin Hazm to whom the Khaliph addressed a letter directing him to compile all true Ahaadeeth as he feared the loss of this knowledge with teh passing away of learned men. Preservation of Ahaadeeth is a matter of real pride to the whole Muslim world. SECOND AND THIRD CENTURY It was the second century AH that we have some renowned scholars of Hadith. In Mecca there was Abu-Juraizi (RA) in Medina, Imam Malik (RA), in Kufa, Sufyaan Thauri (RA), in Basrah, Hammaad bin Salmah (RA). Out of the works of all these scholars, only the Mu'atta of Imam Maalik (RA) is still available. The work undertaken in the second century was not very comprehensive in character. The Mu'atta of Imam Maalik which contained 1700 Ahaadeeth, was confined to Hijaaz and related mostly to acts of devotion such as Salaat, Saum, Zakaat and Hajj etc. It did not contain Ahaadeeth relating to the Prophet's (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) character and morals, his wars and explanations of the Qur'anic verses. the need for a compilation with a wider range of topics was therefore necessary. An in-depth, study was undertaken by prominent scholars, particulary Imam Bukhari (passed away 256 AH) and Imam Muslim (passed away 161 AH). Each Hadith reported was prefaced by a chain of authorities going back to the original narrator, and this process was called Isnaad or backing. A solid foundation was thus established for the formulation of the Shariah. Besides this, detailed investigation was carried out regarding the narrators of Hadith, their moral charactor, truthfulness and powers of memory. Out of 600,000 Ahaadeeth, Imam Bukhari (RA) selected only 7,275 and reported them in his book "Sahih Al-Bukhari" which is a monument of scrupulous scholarship. This work is followed by Imam Muslim's Sahih Al-Muslim which is a collaction of 9200 Ahaadeeth selected out of 300,000. Subsequently, in the next generation came the accepted canonical authorities well known as the "four Sunans" of Abu-Dawood (passed away 275 AH), Tirmizi (passed away 279), Nasai (passed away 303 AH), and Ibne-Maajah (passed away 295 AH). These two Sahih and the four Sunans are termed as Sihaah-e-Sittah or the Six Authentic Traditional Works. Besides, in the same period we have the Musnad of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (passed away 241 AH) courtesy : Institute of Islamic Educational Research. South Africa.

Daarul Hadith.

WHAT IS HADITH?

Hadith or Traditions are the records of the utterances, discourses, practices , usages, sayings and the way of life led by Nabi Muhammad (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) ever since he atained prophethood in the 40th year of his life. Besides this any action done in his presence by the Sahaba (R.A) Companions of the prophet and tacitly approved and not prohibited by the Prophet (S.A.W) also falls within the defination of Hadith. These form the pattern, model or ideal to be followed by every true Muslim in his daily life. Literally the word hadith means 'statement'. It was also known as the 'Sunnah', meaning a practice or custom. Literally, 'Sunnah' means a mode of life.

TYPES OF HADITH
Knowing the role the Ahaadeeth (plural of Hadith) played in the Islamic Sharia'ah, the Muhaadditheen have therefore classified the Ahaadeeth into 3 types:
1. Sahih Ahaadeeth
2. Hasan Ahaadeeth
3. Za'eef Ahadeeth
SAHIH AHADEETH: Sound or most authentic traditions related by narrators of unimpeachable integrity having no defective memory. Here the 'isnaad' authorities should be carried uninterruptedly to the Sahab (R.A) or the Prophet (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam).
HASAN AHAADEETH: Good but less authentic than the first category. Here the 'isnaad' or chain of narrators has one weak link, but which is confirmed by other versions and does not disagree with what is generally reported.
ZA'EEF AHADEETH: That which does not contain the qualities of a Sahih nor Hasan Hadith. These Ahadeeth have further been subdivided into various types because the text or chain of narrators may be weak.
The following are also types of Ahaadeeth:
(a) HADITH-E-NABAWI: or a simple saying of the Prophet (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam).
(b) HADITH-E-QUDSEE: A saying having reference to divinve direction.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HADITH
Apart from teaching the Quran to the Sahaba (R.A), one addtional task was assigned to the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam). And that was to teach the meaning of the Holy Quran and the object of revelation. The Prophet (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) had to elucidate the hidden meaning of certain verses and to explain in detail the rules and regulations revealed in the Holy Quran. This object is clearly illustrated in the following verse :

It is not possible to know the true meaning of the many laws until a thorough study of Ahaadeeth is made. It is therefore impossible to perform Salaah or to observe fast or pay one's Zakaah or even to perform Hajj if one is not acquainted with the Ahaadeeth. The importance of Ahaadeeth is futher elucidated in the following Hadith of Rasoolullah (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam):
"Jaabir (RA) reports that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) said in the Hajjatul-Widaa' (Farewell Pilgrimage) that he had left among them 2 things, which, if adhered to, they would never be misguided viz: 1. The Qur'aan, 2. His Sunnah or Hadith.

NEED OF HADITH
Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'aan:
"We have not sent thee but as a Universal (Messenger) to men". Surah 34-Verse 28 Such a person necessarily had to possess tremendous potential, a high degree of moral character, exceptional characteristics of head and heart and mighty power of insight for the upliftment of humanity for functioning as a World-Prophet after whom there was no necessity of any other reformer. The choice of Allah Ta'ala for the achievement of this end fell upon the unique and blessed personality of Muhammad (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) who has been acclaimed by the greatest of thinkers as the saviour of the fallen humanity and the most successful Messenger of the Supreme Being. Some of the appreciations of the non-Muslim writers about him are given below:

WILFRED CANTWELL SMITH: "Once and for all a final clear statement of His truth and his Justice was sent down; a messenger was chosen who would deliver it, intepret it, live it with undeviated precision," and that was Muhammad (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam).

BERNARD SHAW: "Muhammed was a saviour of humanity, the Mercy of all men, a blessing for all men and an exemplar in every age".

GIBBON IN 'THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE' 1823 :The good sense of Muhammad despised the pomp of royalty. The Apostle of God submitted to the menial offices of the family; he kindled the fire; swept the floor; milked the ewes; and mended with his own hands his shoes and garments. Disdaining the penance and merit of a hermit, he observed without effort of vanity the abstemious diet of an Arab

ALPHONSE DE LAMARTAINE IN 'HISTORIE DE LA TURQUIE, 'PARIS, 1854: "If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astonishing results are the three criteria of a human genius, who could dare compare any great man in history with Muhammad? "Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Conqueror of Ideas, Restorer of Rational beliefs.... The founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?"

M.K. GANDHI, statement published in 'Young India, '1924 : I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind.... I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of that great life.

PRESERVATION OF HADITH
The importance of Hadith has been detailed already and it has been established that Hadith was nothing short of revelation.

DURING THE LIFE TIME OF RASOOLULLAH (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam)
Since Hadhrat Muhammad (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) was selected by Allah Ta'ala to be a World-Prophet, he was given the wisdom and insight to illustrate and explain every eventuality in a man's life and to solve problems from all angles for the benefit of mankind. For this purpose he had to utilise all possible resources that were available to him. Apart from what he declared in public, his doing in his private life, too, had to be known. It is for this reason that he took several wives from different tribes, and mostly older widows with mature judgement, not only with the idea of cementing friendly ties with those tribes but also for the purpose of their observing his acts at home closely and to pass them on faithfully to the public at large. Without appreciating this real purpose, non-Muslim writers have levelled criticism against the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) for taking so many wives, thereby suggesting that he was a sensual man. Blinded by prejudice they could not understand the practical wisdom of his marriages. Those marriages helped in greater degree the propogation of his ideals and teachings through which innumerable traditions were reported, especially those related exclusively to domestic life, and could be conveyed only through them. A very large number of Ahaadeeth have been reported by Hadhrat Aishah (radhiyallaahu-anha) who had a remarkable memory and who lived for 48 years after his death.

Besides the Prophet's (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) wives, there were other members of his family who were all instrumental in reporting what they had observed in his private life. Then there was Hadhrat Bilaal (radhiyallahu-anhu) who was the Mu'azzin of the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) and who was much attached to him. A group of poor companions known as Ashaabus-Suffah, resided in the corner of the Masjidun-Nabawi and dedicated their lives to the study of Islam and had the privilege of being constantly in the company of the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam). Further they had no other work to attend to. Amongst them was the famous narrator Abu-Hurairah, meaning "father of the cat" because of his tenderness for cats. He was a poor man and possessed nothing, and was therefore the guest of the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam). People were astonished as to how he could memorise so many Ahaadeeth, but the fact was that he was constantly with the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) and had no worries about earning his livelihood. In the book "Kanzul-Ummaal", ommiting repetitions 32,000 Ahaadeeth are recorded of which those reported by Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (RA) are 5,374. From these figures his importance as a narrator can well be appreciated.

AFTER THE DEATH OF THE PROPHET (SAW)
First Century: There were the Sahabah (RA) who were faithful and who believed in the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) implicitly as the true Prophet of Allah Ta'ala and loved him more than their own selves. They were ever ready to pick up and preserve the gems that fell from his lips. Mention may be made of the first four Khalifahs (RA). Further, there are a number of reports of Ahaadeeth by such companions as Abu Ayyoob Ansaari, Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Mas'ood, Anas bin Maalik, Jaabir bin Abdullah, Sa'ad bin Waqqaas. Zaid bin thaabit. Ubay bin Ka'ab (radhiyallaahu-anhum) etc.

Abu Zar Raazi (RA) states that more than 100,000 people had met and heard the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam), representing both sexes, and such persons later narrated these incidents to their less fortunate brethren who were deprived of this advantage. The second Khaliph, Hadhrat Umar (radhiyallaahu-anhu) sent out such companions who had long associations with the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) as teachers to the four corners fo the Muslim empire and the names of Abdullah bin Mas'ood (RA) and Abu-Hurairah (RA) are mentioned in this connection. This arracngement was prompted by the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam), saying that his preachings should be conveyed to those who were not present and that such an act would be rewarded by Allah Ta'ala. He also warned that if anyone attributed any saying to him which was not uttered by the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) his place would be in Hell. This acted as a deterrent against mis-representation and fabrications.

An allegation made by Western Christian Orientalists has been given great publicity which gives the idea that the Ahaadeeth were not recorded till a hundered years after the Prophet's (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) death and that they were preserved only in the memories of the companions. Sprenger, a European scholar of Hadith, affirms that the above opinion is incorrect. His view is corroborated by Godziher. Both confirm that Ahaadeeth were preserved in books called "Sahifas". Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-Aas had collected a thousand sayings which he called As-Saadiqah. Hadhrat Ali (RA) had another "Sahifah" which was named Al-Qada'yah. Again the Sahifa of Humam is recognised as based on the writings of Hadhrat abu Hurairah (RA). Once the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) told Abdullah bin Umar (RA) that he should write whatever the Prophet (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) said.

Meanwhile the Muslim empire had extended far and wide and there was a scope for mischief-mongers to coin false Hadith and mix them with the true ones. This state of affairs did not last long as Hadhrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA) (101 AH) entrusted this task to the Ulama. Ibne Shihaab Az-Zuhri (RA) was the first regular compiler of the Ahaadeeth. There was another compiler Abu Bakr bin Hazm to whom the Khaliph addressed a letter directing him to compile all true Ahaadeeth as he feared the loss of this knowledge with teh passing away of learned men. Preservation of Ahaadeeth is a matter of real pride to the whole Muslim world.

SECOND AND THIRD CENTURY
It was the second century AH that we have some renowned scholars of Hadith. In Mecca there was Abu-Juraizi (RA) in Medina, Imam Malik (RA), in Kufa, Sufyaan Thauri (RA), in Basrah, Hammaad bin Salmah (RA). Out of the works of all these scholars, only the Mu'atta of Imam Maalik (RA) is still available. The work undertaken in the second century was not very comprehensive in character. The Mu'atta of Imam Maalik which contained 1700 Ahaadeeth, was confined to Hijaaz and related mostly to acts of devotion such as Salaat, Saum, Zakaat and Hajj etc. It did not contain Ahaadeeth relating to the Prophet's (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) character and morals, his wars and explanations of the Qur'anic verses. the need for a compilation with a wider range of topics was therefore necessary.

An in-depth, study was undertaken by prominent scholars, particulary Imam Bukhari (passed away 256 AH) and Imam Muslim (passed away 161 AH). Each Hadith reported was prefaced by a chain of authorities going back to the original narrator, and this process was called Isnaad or backing. A solid foundation was thus established for the formulation of the Shariah. Besides this, detailed investigation was carried out regarding the narrators of Hadith, their moral charactor, truthfulness and powers of memory. Out of 600,000 Ahaadeeth, Imam Bukhari (RA) selected only 7,275 and reported them in his book "Sahih Al-Bukhari" which is a monument of scrupulous scholarship. This work is followed by Imam Muslim's Sahih Al-Muslim which is a collaction of 9200 Ahaadeeth selected out of 300,000. Subsequently, in the next generation came the accepted canonical authorities well known as the "four Sunans" of Abu-Dawood (passed away 275 AH), Tirmizi (passed away 279), Nasai (passed away 303 AH), and Ibne-Maajah (passed away 295 AH). These two Sahih and the four Sunans are termed as Sihaah-e-Sittah or the Six Authentic Traditional Works. Besides, in the same period we have the Musnad of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (passed away 241 AH)

courtesy : Institute of Islamic Educational Research. South Africa.

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