Hadith

Hadith ({{lang-ar|الحديث}}, Arabic pl. ahadith; in English academic usage, hadith is often both singular and plural) are traditions relating to the sayings and doings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions, or sahaba. Hadith collections are regarded as important tools for determining the Sunnah, or Muslim way of life, by all traditional schools of jurisprudence.

Types of hadith

Muslim scholars classify hadith relating to Muhammad as follows:

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• What Muhammad said (qawl)
• What Muhammad did (fi'l)
• What Muhammad approved (taqrir) in others' actions.

There are also hadith relating to the sayings and doings of the companions, but they may not have the same weight as those about Muhammad.

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Western scholars note that there is a great overlap between the records of early Islamic traditions. Accounts of early Islam are also to be found in:

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• sira (histories, especially biographies of Muhammad)
• tafsir (commentary on the Qur'an)
• fiqh (juristic reasoning)

Some of these accounts are also found as hadith; some aren't. For a Western historian, these are all simply historical sources; for the Muslim scholar, hadith have a special status citing sura Al-A'raf 157:

Related Topics:
Sura - Al-A'raf

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:Those who follow the messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the Law and the Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper. (Yusuf Ali translation)

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They take this and other Qur'anic verses to require Muslims to follow authentic hadith. However, a small number of "Quran-only" Muslims disagree with this view and interpret these verses differently; they argue that the hadith are of human creation and have no authority.

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