introduction to

HADITH
by muhammad adli musa
 course
STRUCTURE
6 Weeks | 11.00 am (MYT) | every Saturday: 4 March - 8 April 2023

week 2 week 3
week 1
preservation & verification &
concept & authority
transmission fabrication

week 6
WEEK 4 week 5
CRITICISM understanding PRINCIPLES OF
Engagement
 hadith
CONCEPT AND AUTHORITY
preamble
HADITH
Large portions of the Islamic legal,
theological, and popular religious traditions
come not from the book that Muslims hold to
be God's revelation, but rather from the
legacy of Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, whom they believe
God chose to explain and elucidate His
message through word and deed.
 ‫‪structure‬‬
‫‪HADITH‬‬
‫‪, consists of a text (matn) describing his words or‬ﷺ ‪Each hadith, or report about the Prophet‬‬
‫‪actions, and a chain of transmission (isnad) by which this report was communicated‬‬

‫َح َّد َث َن ا اْل ُح َم ْي ِد ُّي َع ْب ُد الَّل ِه ْب ُن الُّزَب ْي ِر َق اَل ‪َ :‬ح َّد َث َن ا ُس ْف َي اُن َق اَل ‪َ :‬ح َّد َث َن ا َي ْح َي ى ْب ُن َس ِع يٍد اَأل ْن َص اِر ُّي َق اَل ‪َ :‬أ ْخ َب َر ِن ي ُم َح َّم ُد ْب ُن‬
‫ِإ ْب َر اِه يَم الَّت ْي ِم ُّي َأ َّن ُه َس ِم َع َع ْل َق َم َة ْب َن َو َّق اٍص الَّل ْي ِث َّي َي ُق وُل ‪َ :‬س ِم ْع ُت ُع َم َر ْب َن اْل َخ َّط اِب ‪-‬رضي الله عنه‪َ -‬ع َل ى اْل ِم ْن َب ِر َق اَل ‪:‬‬
‫َس ِم ْع ُت َر ُس وَل الَّل ِه ﷺ َي ُق وُل ‪ِ« :‬إ َّن َم ا اَأل ْع َم اُل ِب الِّن َّي اِت ‪َ ،‬و ِإ َّن َم ا ِل ُك ِّل اْم ِر ٍئ َم ا َن َو ى‪َ ،‬ف َم ْن َك اَن ْت ِه ْج َر ُت ُه ِإ َل ى ُد ْن َي ا ُي ِص يُب َه ا‪َ ،‬أ ْو‬
‫ِه‬ ‫ْي‬ ‫َل‬ ‫َه‬
‫ا‪ِ ،‬ه َر ِإ ى َم ا اَج َر ِإ »‬ ‫َل‬ ‫ُه‬ ‫ُت‬ ‫ْج‬ ‫َف‬ ‫َه‬ ‫ُح‬ ‫ِك‬ ‫ْن‬ ‫ٍة‬ ‫َأ‬
‫ِإ َل ى اْم َر َي‬
SANAD
support

the chain of transmitters which reaches

the text (matn)
definitions
ISNAD hard protruding part of the earth
MATN
ascribing the hadith back to the one that which the chain of narration ends
who said it, i.e. connecting the chain of at (the text)
transmitters part of the hadith which is
the chain of transmitters which reaches comprehensible
back to the text, i.e. synonymous with
sanad
significance the isnad was an effort to document that a hadith had
actually come from Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬and Muslim
scholars from the eighth century until today have never

ISNAD ceased repeating the mantra - 'The isnad is part of the

religion - if not for the isnad, whoever wanted could say
whatever they wanted'

presence of full isnads leading back to the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬and transmitting his legacy defined the
core of hadith literature
tracing the isnad of a hadith back to Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬is to follow one's genealogy of sacred
knowledge back to its source - it is a medium of connection to the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, 'the beloved of
God,' and a link to the scholarly titans of the past
 definitions
HADITH
new
SUNNAH
a way, course, rule, mode or manner of acting or conduct
item of news, a tale, a story or a report –be it historical or of life
legendary, true or false, moral or scandalous, relating to continuous tradition
the present or to the past

what was illustrated to be emulated

that which was transmitted on the authority what the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said or did in a
of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, his deeds, sayings, tacit continuous manner so that others may
approvals and description of his physical follow
features and moral behavior normative legacy of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬
SUNNAH
The Sunnah, although it stands second to the
Qur'an in terms of reverence, it is the lens
through which the holy book is interpreted
and understood

HADITH
the unit through which the Sunnah was
preserved, transmitted, and understood has
been the hadith or report describing the words,
actions, or habits of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬
concept
‫ُق ْل يُع وا ال َه َو الَّرُس وَل ۖ ِإ ن َو ا‬
‫ْو‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫َت‬ ‫َف‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫ِط‬ ‫َأ‬ Prophet's
‫ي‬
‫ِر َن‬ ‫ِف‬‫ا‬ ‫َك‬ ‫ْل‬‫ا‬ ‫ُّب‬
Say, ‘Obey God and the Messenger,’ but
‫ِح‬ ‫ُي‬ ‫اَل‬ ‫َه‬ ‫َّل‬‫ال‬ ‫َّن‬ ‫ِإ‬ ‫َف‬
AUTHORITY
if they turn away, [know that] God does necessity of obeying the Prophet's ‫ﷺ‬
not love those who ignore [His commands
commands].
Āl ʿImrān/3: 32 obeying the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬is to obey God
grave consequences of disobeying Prophet ‫ﷺ‬
 -
ittiba c ‫َف اَّت ِب ُع وِن ي‬
ۗ ‫ُذ ُن وَب ُك ْم‬
‫ال َهَّل‬
‫َلُك ْم‬
‫َن‬ ‫و‬ ‫ُّب‬ ‫ِح‬ ‫ُت‬ ‫ْم‬ ‫ُت‬‫ن‬ ‫ُك‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ْل ِإ‬
‫ُي ْح ِب ْب ُك ُم الَّل ُه َو َي ْغ ِف ْر‬
‫ُق‬

FOLLOWSHIP Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love

‫ِح‬
‫وٌر َّر يٌم‬ ‫ُف‬ ‫َغ‬ ‫ُه‬ ‫َّل‬‫َو ال‬

The role of the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬as a
teacher, role model, and living example of
the revelation he delivered is discussed in
the Qur'an
Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love
you and forgive you your sins. And Allah
is Forgiving and Merciful.“
Āl ʿImrān/3: 31
 ‫َّل َق ْد َك اَن َلُك ْم يِف َر ُس وِل الَّل ِه ُأ ْس َو ٌة‬
‫ْل‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫ِّل‬
‫َح َس َن ٌة َم ن اَن َي ْرُج و ال َه َو ا َي َم‬
‫ْو‬ ‫َك‬
‫َه‬
)3( ‫ا َو ٰى‬ ‫ْل‬ ‫َع‬ ‫ُق‬
‫َو َم ا َي نِط ِن‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫آْل‬
‫َك‬ ‫َك‬ ‫َذ‬
‫ا َر َو َر ال َه ِث يًر ا‬‫ِخ‬
)4( ‫ُي وَح ٰى‬ ‫ْح‬ ‫َو‬ ‫ِإ ْن ُه َو ِإ اَّل‬
‫ٌي‬
The Messenger of God is an excellent
he does not speak from his own desire.
model for those of you who put your
It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺.
hope in God and the Last Day and
al-Najm/53: 3-4
remember Him often.
al-Aḥzāb/33: 21
MUHAMMAD ‫ﷺ‬ ‫ُق ْل ِإ َّن َم ا َأ َن ا َب َش ٌر ِّم ْث ُل ُك ْم ُي وَح ٰى ِإ َّيَل‬
‫َأ َّن َم ا ِإ َٰل ُه ُك ْم ِإ َٰل ٌه َو اِح ٌد َف اْس َت ِق يُم وا ِإ َل ْي ِه‬
although the Qur'an reiterates that ‫ي‬ ‫ِك‬
‫ٌل ُم ِر َن‬‫ْش‬ ‫ْل‬ ‫ِّل‬ ‫ْي‬ ‫َو‬ ‫َو‬ ۗ ‫وُه‬ ‫ْغ‬
‫َو اْس َت ُر‬
‫ِف‬
Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬is nothing but a mortal who
has merely been favored with direct Say [Prophet], ‘I am only a mortal like
communication from God, Muslims consider you, [but] it has been revealed to me
him above any ethical shortcomings that your God is One. Take the straight
as a mere mortal, Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬had no path to Him and seek His forgiveness.
independent ability to prophesy - he was Woe to the idolaters,
Fuṣṣilat/41: 6
simply a medium for God's revelation
 ‫ِم‬
‫ُك‬ ‫ُت‬ ‫َأ‬
‫َش‬ ‫ُك‬ ‫ُت‬ ‫َأ‬
‫ِإ َّن َم ا ا َب ٌر ِإ ا َم ْر ْم ِب ْى ٍء ْن‬
‫َذ‬ ‫َش‬ ‫َن‬ ‫َأ‬
‫ِد يِن ُك ْم َف ُخ ُذ وا ِب ِه َو ِإ َذ ا َم ْر ْم‬
extent of
I am a human
‫َأ‬ ‫َّن‬
being,
‫َف‬ ‫ْأ‬
‫ِب َش ْى ٍء ِم ْن َر ٍى ِإ َم ا َن ا َب َش ٌر‬
so when I
IMITATION
although a hadith could refer to any aspect
command you about a thing pertaining
of the Prophet's ‫ ﷺ‬life and legacy, not
to religion, do accept it, and when I
everything the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ did was
command you about a thing out of my
authoritative
personal opinion, keep it in mind that I
not all aspects of the Prophet's ‫ ﷺ‬behavior
am a human being.
Sahih Muslim, hadith no. 2362 required imitation or obedience
Qur'an
SUNNAH
teachings of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ adjust,
augment and explain the Qur'an
the Sunnah is an essential resource for
explaining and supplementing the
Qur'anic message
the Sunnah has controlled the way in
which Muslims have interpreted the
Qur'anic revelation
 ‫َّك‬ ‫َف‬ ‫َت‬ ‫ُه‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫َل‬ ‫َل‬ ‫ِّز‬ ‫ُن‬ ‫ِس‬ ‫َّن‬ ‫ِل‬ ‫ِّي‬ ‫ُت‬ ‫ِل‬ ‫ْك‬ ‫ِّذ‬ ‫َل‬
‫َو ن ا ِإ ْي َك ال َر َب َن ل ا َم ا َل ِإ ْي ِه ْم َو َع ْم َي ُر وَن‬‫َن‬ ‫ْل‬ ‫َز‬ ‫َأ‬
We have sent down the message to you too [Prophet], so that you can
explain to people what was sent for them, so that they may reflect
al-Naḥl/16: 44

The Sunnah came to rule over the Qur'an, it is not the Qur'an that rules over the Sunnah
Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr (d. 129/747)

The Quran needs the Sunnah more than the Sunnah needs the Qur'an
Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī (d. 131/748)

not in any way an admission of any deficiency in the Qur'an - rather it recognises that the book
required the Prophet's ‫ ﷺ‬example and teachings in order to explain its verses and unlock its
manifold meanings to an evolving community
 SUNNAH vis-a-visQUR'AN
al-Sunnah al-Sunnah al-Sunnah
al-Muʾakkidah al-Mubayyinah al-Istiqlāliyyah

reemphasises that which is in clarifies that which is in the independent of the Qur'an
the Qur'an Qur'an

Tafṣīl al-Mujmal – Tawḍīḥ al-Mushkil – to Taqyīd al-Muṭlaq – Takhṣīṣ al-ʿĀmm –

to detail the concise clarify the obscure to qualify the unqualified to specify the general
 Tafsīl
. al-Mujmal
‫ رأيت‬:‫عن عبد الله بن عمر رضى الله عنهما قال‬
‫َو َأ ِق يُم وا الَّص اَل َة َو آُت وا الَّزَك اَة‬ ‫رسول الله ﷺ إذا قام يف الصالة رفع يديه حتى تكونا‬
‫َو اْر َك ُع وا َم َع الَّر اِك ِع يَن‬ ‫حذو منكبيه وكان يفعل ذلك حين يكبر للركوع‬
‫ويفعل ذلك إذا رفع رأسه من الركوع ويقول سمع الله‬
Keep up the prayer, pay the
‫لمن حمده وال يفعل ذلك يف السجود‬
prescribed alms, and bow your heads
Abdullāh ibn ʿUmar said: I saw that whenever
[in worship] with those who bow
Allah's Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬stood for the prayer, he
theirs. used to raise both his hands up to the shoulders,
al-Baqarah /2: 43
and used to do the same on saying the takbīr for
bowing and on raising his head from it and used
to say, "samiʿ Allāh liman ḥamidah". But he did
not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.
Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 703
 Tawdīh
.. al-Mushkil
> ‫لما نزلت <اَّل ِذ يَن آَم ُن وا َو َل ْم َي ْل ِب ُس وا ِإ يَم اَن ُه م ِب ُظ ْل ٍم‬
‫ُه‬ ‫َن‬ ‫ْل‬ ‫ْم‬ ‫َل‬
‫ا يَن آَم وا َو َي ِب ُس وا ِإ يَم ا م‬‫ُن‬ ‫ِذ‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫ يا رسول الله وأينا ال‬:‫شق ذلك على المسلمين فقالوا‬

‫ِب ُظ ْل ٍم و َك ُم ا ْم ُن َو م‬
‫ُه‬ ‫َأْل‬ ‫ُه‬ ‫َل‬ ‫ِئ‬ ‫َل‬ ‫ُأ‬ ‫ ألم‬،‫ ليس ذلك إنما هو الشرك‬:‫ قال ﷺ‬.‫يظلم نفسه‬
ۖ ‫تسمعوا ما قال لقمان البنه <َي ا ُب َن َّي اَل ُت ْش ِر ْك ِب الَّل ِه‬
‫ُّم ْه َت ُد وَن‬ > ‫ِإ َّن الِّش ْرَك َل ُظ ْل ٌم َع ِظ يٌم‬
When this verse was revealed, it was hard on the
It is those who have faith, and do not
Muslims. They said, "O Allah's Messenger ‫ !ﷺ‬Who
mix their faith with idolatry, who will be
among us did not commit ẓulm against himself?"
secure, and it is they who are rightly He ‫ ﷺ‬said, "It is not that. It is shirk. Did you not
guided.’ hear what the Luqman said to his son: 'Do not
Al-Anʿām/6: 82
attribute any partners to God: attributing
partners to Him is a terrible wrong.'"
Sunan al-Tirmidhi, hadith no. 3346
 Taqyīd al-Mutlaq
.
‫ْق‬
‫َو الَّس اِر ُق َو الَّس اِر َق ُة َف ا َط ُع وا‬
‫ِّم‬ ‫اًل‬ ‫َك‬ ‫َن‬ ‫َك‬
‫ْي َي َم ا َج اًء ِب َم ا َس َب ا ا َن‬‫َز‬ ‫ُه‬ ‫ِد‬ ‫َأ‬ :‫ أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‬:‫عن عائشة‬
‫ٌم‬‫ي‬ ‫ِك‬ ‫َح‬ ‫ٌز‬‫ي‬ ‫ِز‬ ‫َع‬ ‫ُه‬ ‫َّل‬‫ال‬ ‫َو‬ ۗ ‫ِه‬ ‫َّل‬‫ال‬ ‫ال تقطع يد السارق إال يف ربع دينار‬
Cut off the hands of thieves, whether ‫فصاعدا‬
they are man or woman, as ʿĀ’ishah said: Allah's Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬said,
punishment for what they have done- "The hand of a thief should not be cut off
a deterrent from God: God is almighty but for a quarter of a dinar onward."
and wise. Sahih Muslim, hadith no. 1684
al-Mā’idah/5: 83
 Takhsīs
.. al-ʿĀmm
:‫عن عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال‬
‫َّد‬
‫َو ال َم‬ ‫َة‬ ‫َت‬ ‫ْي‬ ‫َم‬ ‫ْل‬‫ا‬ ‫ُم‬ ‫ُك‬ ‫ْي‬ ‫َل‬ ‫َح َّر َم َع‬ ‫ِإ َّن َم ا‬ ‫ أحلت لنا ميتتان‬:‫قال رسوُل الله ﷺ‬
‫ِرْي‬ ‫َغ‬ ‫ِل‬ ‫ِه‬ ‫ِه‬ ‫ُأ‬
‫ا ِز ِر َم َّل ِب‬ ‫ا‬ ‫َو‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ِخ‬ ‫ْل‬ ‫َو َل ْح َم‬ ‫ وأما‬،‫ أما الميتتان فالسمك والجراد‬،‫ودمان‬
ۖ ‫الَّل ِه‬ ‫الدمان فالكبد والطحال‬
He has only forbidden you carrion, Abdullāh ibn ʿUmar said: Allah's Messenger
blood, pig’s meat, and animals over said, "Two kinds of dead meat and two kinds

which any name other than God’s has of blood have been permitted to us. The two
kinds of dead meat are fish and locusts, and
been invoked.
al-Baqarah /2: 173 the two kinds of blood are the liver and
spleen.".
Sunan Ibn Majah, hadith no. 3314
References
Thanks
adlimusa@iium.edu.my

muhammad adli musa

ALLAH
knows best