Together with the Qur'an, hadith shape Muslim beliefs and practice. Many details of the five pillars of Islam, such as how to pray, fast and perform Hajj, are known from hadith. This guide explains how a hadith is put together, how scholars grade hadith, how they checked the people who passed them on, and the major collections.
The Two Parts of a Hadith
A hadith is a report of something the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, did or silently approved. Each hadith has two parts:
- Isnad (chain of narration)The list of people who passed the report on, going back to the Prophet ﷺ. For example: “A told me that B told him that C heard the Prophet ﷺ say…”
- Matn (text)The content of the report: what the Prophet ﷺ said or did. Scholars examine both the chain and the text.
How Hadith Are Graded
Not every report is equally reliable, so scholars developed a grading system to classify each narration. These are the four main grades:
| Grade | What it means | How scholars use it |
|---|---|---|
| Sahih (authentic) | An unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, with no hidden defects | Used as a basis for beliefs and rulings |
| Hasan (good) | Like sahih, but with narrators who are slightly less precise | Generally accepted for rulings, often alongside supporting reports |
| Da'if (weak) | A break in the chain, an unknown narrator, or a narrator with a poor memory | Not relied on by itself for rulings; scholars differ on using it to encourage good deeds |
| Mawdu' (fabricated) | A known liar in the chain, or content that contradicts the Qur'an | Rejected by scholars, who warn against passing it on as the Prophet's words |
Scholars of Islamic law (fiqh) look at these grades when they use hadith. Terms such as isnad, sahih and hasan are also explained in our Islamic glossary.
Ilm ar-Rijal: Checking the Narrators
Scholars did not only check whether a chain existed. They studied each narrator in it, a field called ilm ar-rijal (knowledge of the narrators). The process looks at five things:
- Identify every narrator: Each person in the chain is looked at individually
- Character ('adalah): Was the narrator known to be honest and reliable?
- Precision (dabt): Did the narrator have a strong memory and pass reports on accurately?
- Continuity: Did each narrator actually meet the person they reported from?
- Hidden defects ('illah): Are there subtle problems, such as conflicting versions or unusual additions?
The Major Hadith Collections
In Sunni Islam, six collections known as the Kutub as-Sittah (the Six Books) are the most widely relied on. The counts below are approximate and vary between editions.
| Collection | Compiler | Hadith | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sahih al-Bukhari | Imam al-Bukhari (d. 870 CE) | About 7,275 (with repeats) | Regarded by Sunni scholars as the most authentic collection. Al-Bukhari is reported to have chosen it from a far larger number of narrations. |
| Sahih Muslim | Imam Muslim (d. 875 CE) | About 7,500 | Known for its careful arrangement of narrations by topic. |
| Sunan Abu Dawud | Abu Dawud (d. 889 CE) | About 5,274 | Focuses on hadith used in law, and notes weak hadith where they are included. |
| Sunan at-Tirmidhi | At-Tirmidhi (d. 892 CE) | About 3,956 | Gives a grade for many hadith and mentions where scholars differ. |
| Sunan an-Nasa'i | An-Nasa'i (d. 915 CE) | About 5,761 | Often described as the strictest of the Sunan collections in judging narrators. |
| Sunan Ibn Majah | Ibn Majah (d. 887 CE) | About 4,341 | Completes the Six Books and contains some narrations not found in the others. |
Addressing Doubts About Hadith
- “Hadith were written down centuries later”The major collections were compiled in the 9th century, but hadith were memorised, written down and passed on from the Prophet's ﷺ own lifetime. Early written collections, called sahifah, came before the major books.
- “Anyone could make up a hadith”The study of chains (isnad) developed to guard against this. Scholars identified fabricated hadith, listed them and rejected them.
- “We only need the Qur'an”Most Muslims understand the Qur'an as telling believers to follow the Prophet ﷺ. Without hadith, many details of prayer, fasting, Hajj and other practices would not be known.
Hadith FAQ
What is a hadith?
A hadith is a report of what the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, did or silently approved. Each hadith has a chain of narrators, called the isnad, and a text, called the matn. Muslims use hadith alongside the Qur'an to understand how to practise their faith, from the details of prayer to everyday conduct.
What do sahih, hasan and da'if mean?
These are grades that scholars give to hadith. Sahih means authentic: an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators. Hasan means good: similar to sahih, with narrators who are slightly less precise. Da'if means weak, for example because of a break in the chain. A fourth grade, mawdu', is used for fabricated reports.
What are the six major hadith collections?
In Sunni Islam, the six major collections are Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa'i and Sunan Ibn Majah. Together they are called the Kutub as-Sittah, or the Six Books. Sunni scholars regard Sahih al-Bukhari as the most authentic of them.
Were hadith written down in the Prophet's lifetime?
In part, yes. Hadith were memorised, written down and passed on from the Prophet's ﷺ own lifetime, and early written collections, called sahifah, came before the major books. The large collections most Muslims use today were compiled in the 9th century, by scholars who checked each chain of narrators.
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This page is a general guide. For your own situation, please consult a qualified scholar.
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