Hadis Basics

Hadis Types

and General information

Components of Hadith

A hadith is composed of three parts :

Matn = text

isnad = chain of reporters)

taraf = the part, or the beginning sentence, of the text which refers to the sayings, actions or characteristics of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him),or his concurrence with others action.

The authenticity of the hadith depends on the reliability of its reporters, and the linkage among them.

1. According to the reference to a particular authority

Four types of hadith can be identified.

Qudsi - Divine; a revelation from Allah ; relayed with the words of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).

Marfu - elevated; a narration from the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him ), e.g. I heard the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) saying ...

Mauquf- stopped: a narration from a companion only, e.g., we were commanded to ...

Maqtu' - severed: a narration from a successor.

2.According to the links of Isnad - interrupted or uninterrupted

Six categories can be identified.

Musnad - supported: a hadith which is reported by a raditionalist, based on what he learned from his teacher at a time of life suitable for learning; similarly - in turn - for each teacher until the isnad reaches a well known companion, who in turn, reports from the Prophet peace be upon him

Mutassil - continuous: a hadith with an uninterrupted isnad which goes back only to a companion or successor.

Mursal - hurried: if the link between the successor and the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) is missing, e.g.

when a successor says "The Prophet said...".

Munqati - broken: is a hadith whose link anywhere before the successor (i.e., closer to the traditionalist recording the hadith) is missing.

Mu'adal - perplexing: is a hadith whose reporter omits two or more consecutive reporters in the isnad.

Mu'allaq - hanging: is a hadith whose reporter omits the whole isnad and quotes the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) directly (i.e., the link is missing at the beginning).

3. According to the number of reporters involved in each stage of Isnad

Five categories of hadith can be identified:

Mutawatir - Consecutive: is a hadith which is reported by such a large number of people that they cannot be expected to agree upon a lie, all of them together.

Ahad - isolated: is a hadith which is narrated by people whose number does not reach that of the mutawatir.

It is further classified into:

Mash'hur - famous: hadith reported by more than two reporters.

Aziz - rare, strong: at any stage in the isnad, only two reporters are found to narrate the hadith.

Gharib - strange: At some stage of the Isnad, only one reporter is found relating it.

4. According to the nature of the text and isnad

Munkar - denounced: is a hadith which is reported by a weak narrator, and whose narration goes against another authentic hadith.

Mudraj - interpolated: an addition by a reporter to the text of the hadith being narrated.

5. According to the reliability and memory of the reporters

This provides the final verdict on a hadith - four categories can be identified:

Sahih - sound. Imam Al-shafi'i states the following requiremetts for a hadith, which is not mutawatir, to be acceptable " he should be known to be truthtul in his narrating, to understand what he narrates, to know how a different expression can alter the meaning, and to report the wording of the hadith verbatim, not only its meaning".

Hasan - good: is the one where its source is known and its reporters are unambiguous.

Da'if - weak: a hadith which fails to reach the status of hasan.

Usually, the weakness is: a) one of discontinuity in the isnad, in which case the hadith could be - according to the nature of the discontinuity - munqati (broken), mu'allaq (hanging), mu'dal (perplexing), or mursal (hurried), or b) one of the reporters having a disparaged character, such as due to his telling lies, excessive mistakes,

opposition to the narration of more reliable sources, involvement in innovation, or ambiguity surrounding his person.

Maudu' - fabricated or forged: is a hadith whose text goes against the established norms of the Prophet's sayings, or its reporters include a liar. Fabricated hadith are also recognized by external evidence related to a discrepancy found in the dates or times of a particular incident.

Asma-ur-rijal - unique to ISLAM

In order then, to ascertain whether a certain narrator of a certain tradition is trustworthy, we consult a special branch of Arabic literature known as Asma-ur-Rijal - that is to say, the names of those who have either spoken to or seen the Prophet (peace be upon him).

In these books are preserved the accounts of the lives of the persons who are narrators of traditions, and it is from these books that we learn whether such should be accepted or rejected.

Thousands of traditionists spent their whole lives in preparing this branch of knowledge. They took long journeys to meet and interview the persons who could relate any events of the life of Prophet (peace be upon him).

They met them and inquired about them; whether the narrator was a pious man what were his occupations whether he had a good memory whether he was of a superficial or deep character and if he proved to be in any way deficient, his evidence was rejected.

It was under this system of sifting the truth that the books of Sihah Sittah __ six reliable books of traditions - were pre-pared and became the basis of all other books on the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him )the Islamic history is enshrined with the art of Asma-ur-rijal the art through which the biographies of all the companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)and of their followers Raziallhutalaajmaeen, who undertook the task of writing the Quran and Sunnah, have been preserved in the pages of history.

Even those whose names got slightest association with Prophet’s life in whatever context, their biographies have ornamented the pages of Islamic history.

Time Line of Saha Sitta - Common Era

1. Al-Bukhari (d. 870 CE)

2. Muslim Ibn Al-Hajjaj (d. 875)

3. Abu Da'ud (d. 888)

4. Al-Tirmidhi (d. 892)

5. Ibn Maja (d. 886)

6. Al-Nasa'i (d. 915)

ISLAMIC DATES

c. 570 CE Birth of Prophet peace be upon him.

622 CE Hijira , Prophet peace be upon him and his Sahabas migrate to Medina sharif. Islamic calendar (AH, Anno Hegirae) begins.

630 Muslims capture Mecca. Ka'ba is cleansed, pilgrimage rites are Islamicized, tribes of Arabia vow allegiance to prophet peace be upon him

9th of Zil Hajj. On this day, Rasulullaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wasallam) said, in the name of Allaah Almighty, that "our Deen is complete".

This means that henceforth, no verse can be revealed explaining any matter

or principle relating to Deen

632 . Abu Bakr Siddique radiallhutalaanhu chosen as caliph after the Prophet (peace be upon him )

[Caliph Abu Bakr siddique raziallhutalanhus era (632–634)]

632-33 Wars of ridda (apostasy) restore allegiance to Islam

633 Muslim conquests (Futuhat) begin

23 August 634 - Sahadat of Abu bakar Siddiqe Raziallhutalanhu and The same day Umar raziallhutalanhu assumed the office of Caliphate

[Caliph Umar e farooque raziallhutalanhus era (634–644)]

c. 650 Caliph Uthman e gani raziallhutalaanhu has the Qur'an written down.

[Caliph Uthman e gani raziallhutalaanhu as Khalifah (644–656)]

656(17th july) Uthman e gani raziallhutalaanhu is murdered; Maula Ali raziallhutalaanhu becomes fourth caliph

-- start of Shia sect , some of those claimed Maula ali to be GOD and they were Killed by maula ali himself and their supporters secluded them selves . ----

657 Battle of Siffin. hazrate Mu'awiyaraziallhutalaanhu , governor of Syria, claims the caliphate.

661 Maula Ali raziallhutalanhu is murdered; Hazrate Mu'awiya raziallhutala anhu becomes caliph with influence of Imam Hasan raziallhutalaanhu

[Maulal Ali was khalifa between 656 and 661]

680 Sahadat of Imam Husayn raziall hutalaanhu

765 Division within Shi'ites - majority are the modern Imamiyya (Twelvers) who co-exist with Abbasid caliphs minority are more extreme Isma'iliyaa (Seveners).

800s Written collections of Hadith (sayings of the Prophet peace be upon him) are compiled. Sicily comes under Muslim rule.

Shia Books - time line

Four prominent Shi'a hadith collections are:

927 CE -Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih of Shaikh Saduq

939 CE - Kitab al-Kafi (divided into Usul al-Kafi, Furu al-Kafi and Rawdat al-Kafi) of Kulayni

1000 CE -- The Nahj al-Balagha

1009 CE -- Tahdhib al-Ahkam by Abu Ja'far al-Tusi

1009 CE -- Al-Istibsar by Abu Ja'far al-Tusi

Bukhari and MUSLIM

Bukhari Sharif is in - 2 Volumes

Muslim Sharif is in - 1 Volume