Hadith

Hadith (Arabic: حديث) means report, account, or narrative[1]. In Islamic vocabulary it refers specifically to reports about the sayings, actions, approvals, and silences of the Prophet Muhammad[2]. Each hadith consists of two parts: the isnad (chain of transmitters showing how the report came down) and the matn (the actual content of the report)[2].

hadith literature is complex and evaluated through traditions of transmission and authenticity.

Hadith are the principal vehicle through which the Sunnah is preserved and transmitted. They cover the full range of prophetic life: how the Prophet prayed, what he ate, how he treated his family, what he said about religious obligations, how he resolved disputes, and what guidance he offered for daily life[2].

Hadith were collected, evaluated, and compiled in the early centuries of Islam, with the major canonical collections emerging in the 9th century[2]. In Sunni tradition the six major collections (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah) are the most authoritative; Bukhari and Muslim are considered the most reliable[2]. Shia tradition has its own collections including Al-Kafi, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, Tahdhib al-Ahkam, and Al-Istibsar.

Classical hadith scholarship developed detailed criteria for evaluation. Each hadith is graded by the reliability of its transmitters and the soundness of its content: sahih (sound), hasan (good), daif (weak), and various other categories[2]. Forged hadith were also identified, with collections of recognized fabrications. The scholar of hadith (muhaddith) was a highly respected position in classical Islamic learning.

Contemporary Muslims engage hadith differently across movements. Most Sunni Muslims accept the canonical collections as authoritative. Quran-only movements reject hadith in favor of the Quran alone, a minority position. Critical academic study uses both traditional and historical-critical methods to examine the formation of the hadith corpus[3].

Hadith studies in academia includes both engagement with classical Islamic scholarship and critical historical investigation. Joseph Schacht's influential mid-20th century work raised questions about the authenticity of many hadith[4]; later scholars including Harald Motzki, Jonathan Brown, and others have refined and contested those conclusions[2]. The field continues to engage both methodologies.

• Hadith: Muhammad's Legacy in the Medieval and Modern Worldby Jonathan A. C. Brown
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• The Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudenceby Joseph Schacht
  book