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Islamic Online University The Foundations of Islamic Studies 101
CHAPTER THREE:
HADEETH
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Islamic Online University The Foundations of Islamic Studies 101
3.1 DEFINITIONS
Definition of Hadeeth
The Arabic word hadeeth basically means ‘an item of news, conversation, a tale, a
story or a report,’ whether historical or legendary, true or false, relating to the
present or the past. Its secondary meaning as an adjective is ‘new’ as opposed to
qadeem, ‘old’. However, like other Arabic words (e.g. salaah, zakaah), its
meaning changed in Islaam. From the time of the Prophet (r), his stories and
communications dominated all other forms of communication. Consequently, the
term hadeeth began to be used almost exclusively for reports which spoke of his
actions and sayings.1
b) A historical story
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c) A general conversation
ﻚ ﻓِﻲ ﺃﹸﺫﹸﻧِﻪِ ﺍﹾﻷَﻧﺐ ﺻ،ﻪﻭﻥﹶ ﻣِﻨﻔِﺮ ﻳﻮﻥﹶ ﺃﹶﻭ ﻛﹶﺎﺭِﻫ ﻟﹶﻪﻢﻫﻡٍ ﻭﺪِﻳﺚِ ﻗﹶﻮ ﺇِﻟﹶﻰ ﺣﻊﻤﺘﻦِ ﺍﺳﻣ
“Molten copper will be poured in the ear of whoever eavesdrops on the
conversation of people who dislike him doing so or flee from him.”5
Among the hadeeth scholars the term hadeeth means ‘whatever is transmitted
from the Prophet of his actions, sayings, tacit approvals, or physical
characteristics. Scholars of Islaamic Law do not include the physical appearance
of the Prophet in their definition.
Importance of Hadeeth:
1. Revelation
The Prophet’s sayings and actions were primarily based on revelation from Allaah
and, as such, must be considered a fundamental source of guidance second only to
the Qur’aan. Allaah in the Qur’aan said concerning the Prophet (r):
ﻰﻮﺣ ﻳﻲﺣ ﺇِﻻﱠ ﻭﻮﻯ ﺇِﻥﹾ ﻫﻮﻦِ ﺍﻟﹾﻬ ﻋﻄِﻖﻨﺎ ﻳ ﻣﻭ
4
Saheeh Al Bukhaaree, vol.
5
Saheeh Al Bukhaaree, vol.
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“He (Muhammad) does not speak from his desires; indeed, what he
says is revelation.” Soorah an-Najm (53):3-4
Therefore, the hadeeth represents a personal source of divine guidance which
Allaah granted His Prophet (r) which was similar in its nature to the Qur’aan
itself. The Prophet (r) reiterated this point in one of his recorded statements,
“Indeed, I was given the Qur ’aan and something similar to it along with it.”6
2. Tafseer:
The preservation of the Qur’aan was not restricted to protecting its wording from
change. Were that the case, its meanings could be manipulated according to
human desires, while maintaining its wording. However, Allaah also protected its
essential meanings from change by entrusting the explanation of the meanings of
Qur’aan to the Prophet (r) himself. Allaah states the following in the Qur’aan
regarding its interpretation:
3. Laws
One of the primary duties of the Prophet (r) was to judge between people in their
disputes. Since his judgements were all based on revelation, as stated earlier, they
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ﰲﻢﺘﻋﺎﺯﻨ ﻓﹶﺈِﻥﹾ ﺗﻜﹸﻢﺮِ ﻣِﻨﻟِﻲ ﺍﹾﻷَﻣﺃﹸﻭﻮﻝﹶ ﻭﺳﻮﺍ ﺍﻟﺮﻌﺃﹶﻃِﻴﻮﺍ ﺍﷲَ ﻭﻌﻮﺍ ﺃﹶﻃِﻴﻨ ﺁﻣﺎ ﺍﻟﺬﱢﻳﻦﻬﺎﺃﹶﻳﻳ
ِﻮﻝﺳﺍﻟﺮ ﺇِﻟﹶﻰ ﺍﷲِ ﻭﻭﻩﺩﺀٍ ﻓﹶﺮﻲﺷ
“O believers, obey Allaah, obey the Messenger and those in authority
among you. If you dispute about anything, refer it to Allaah and the
Messenger.” Soorah an-Nisaa, (4):59
Thus, hadeeths are essential for the smooth running of the law courts in an
Islaamic State.
4. Moral Ideal
Since the Prophet (r) was guided by revelation in his personal life, his character
and social interactions became prime examples of moral conduct for Muslims
until the Last Day. Attention was drawn to this fact in the following Qur’aanic
verse:
5. Preservation of Islaam
The science of narration, collection and criticism of hadeeth was unknown to the
world prior to the era of the Prophet (r). In fact, it was due in part to the absence
of such a reliable science that the messages of the former prophets became lost or
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distorted in the generations that followed them. Therefore, it may be said that it is
largely due to the science of hadeeth that the final message of Islaam has been
preserved in it is original purity for all times. This is alluded to in the Qur’aanic
verse:
10
Lanes’s Lexicon, vol. 1, p. 1438.
11
Al-Bid‘ah, p. 67.
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: ﻗﺎﻝr ﺒِﻲﻦِ ﺍﻟﻨ ﺃﹶﻧِﺲ ﻋﻦﺓﹶ ﻋﺎﺩ ﻗﹶﺘﻦﺔﹶ ﻋﺒﻌ ﺷﻦْﻰ ﻋﺛﹶﻨﺎ ﳛﺪ ﻗﹶﺎﻝﹶ ﺣﺩﺪﺴﺎ ﻣﺛﹶﻨﺪﺣ
(( ِﻔﺴِﻪ ﻟِﻨﺤِﺐﺎﻳﻪِ ﻣ ﻟِﺄﺧِﻴﺤِﺐﻰ ﻳﺘ ﺣﻛﹸﻢﺪ ﺃﹶﺣﻣِﻦﺆ)) ﻻﹶ ﻳ
ﺨﺎﺭِﻱ ﺍﻟﹾﺒﺍﻩﻭﺭ
Musaddad told us that Yahyaa informed him from Shu‘bah, from Qataadah, from
Anas from the Prophet (r) that he said:
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he
loves for himself.”12
Collected by al-Bukhaaree
This means that the Hadeeth scholar Muhammad ibn Ismaa‘eel al-Bukhaaree
collected in his book of Hadeeths called Saheeh al-Bukhaaree the statement:
“ None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for
himself.” which he heard from his Hadeeth teacher Musaddad, who heard it from
his teacher Yahyaa, who was informed by his teacher Shu‘bah that he heard it
from his teacher Qataadah, a student of the Prophet’s companions, who heard it
quoted by the Prophet’s companion Anas ibn Maalik from Prophet Muhammad
(r).
COMPONENTS
A Hadeeth consists of two main parts: the Sanad ( )ﺍﻟﺴﻨﺪand the Matn. ()ﺍﳌﱳ
12
(Sahih Al-Bukhari (Arabic-English), vol.1, p.19, no.12). It is also collected by Muslim (Sahih
Muslim (English Trans.), vol.1, p.31, no.72).
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Yahyaa informed him from Shu‘bah from Qataadah from Anas from the Prophet
(r) that he said:”
The Matn
The text of the Hadeeth or what the Prophet (r) actually said or did is called the
Matn. For example, in the above Hadeeth the Matn is: “None of you truly
believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
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