What includes the Prophet's ﷺwords, actions and approval is called the Sunnah or hadith.
Part
Arabic
Meaning
Qawl
قول
The Prophet's words / teaching
Fi'l
فعل
The Prophet's actions
Taqrir
تقرير
The Prophet's approval (accepting what others did without objecting)
The Quran vs the Sunnah
The Quran
The Sunnah
Kind of revelation
Wahy matluww (recited revelation)
Wahy ghayr matluww (unrecited revelation)
Wording
Allah's
The Prophet's ﷺ
Meaning
Allah's
Allah's
2. The Sunnah as a source of law – evidence
Verse
Meaning
53:3–5
He does not speak from desire; it is revelation; one mighty in power (Jibril) teaches him
4:80
Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah
59:7
Take (willingly) whatever the Messenger gives you
3:31
If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you
The roles of the Sunnah
The Prophet ﷺput into practice what the Quran set out as principles.
He also solved the difficulties that arise in practising them as a human being.
It explains what the Quran says briefly.
It stresses and explains the teachings further.
It points out some things the Quran did not mention and guides the way for ijtihad.
Evidence from the hadith
Hadith (meaning)
Source
My Lord has commanded me to teach you what you do not know of what He has taught me
Muslim
I have been given the Quran and something like it along with it
—
I am leaving two things; you will not go astray as long as you follow them: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger
Muwatta'
Just as with the Quran, it is the duty of the Muslim community to learn, preserve, practise and teach the Sunnah.
3. What the Prophet ﷺ did to preserve the Sunnah
He told people to pass on what they knew about him, even a single sentence.
He warned that whoever falsely attributes to him what he did not say will take his place in Hell.
He took care that hadiths were memorised accurately and written down.
He appointed some Companions to learn and teach hadith; he also used Ashab as-Suffah for this.
So the Prophet's qawl, fi'l and taqrir were all closely observed and preserved by the Companions.
4. The history of hadith compilation
Stage
Event
After the Prophet's ﷺ death
Legal problems showed the need for hadith; the Companions presented hadiths with witnesses; younger Companions and the Tabi'un learned them orally; as an exception, also in writing
Compiling the Quran
In the time of Caliph Abu Bakr (RA) (for fear it would be lost)
The effort to compile hadith into books
Became important in the time of Caliph 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (RH); on the caliph's order Imam (Ibn) Shihab az-Zuhri collected hadiths; but the work was not completed
The time of the Tabi'un
Hadith teaching in the capitals of the Muslim state; books of hadith appeared – e.g. Imam Malik – al-Muwatta'; Imam Ahmad – al-Musnad
Later
Fabricated hadiths spread, aimed at taking Muslims away from Islam → the effort to meet those who knew hadith in person, find out the truth and write it down → hadiths were critically examined and graded; the science of hadith developed
5. As-Sihah as-Sittah (الصحاح الستة) – the six collections
Six authentic books of hadith; the leading collections, ranked next after the Quran; there are many commentaries and translations of them.
Name
Known as
Father
Birthplace
Born (AH)
Collection
Hadiths
Died (AH)
Muhammad
al-Bukhari
Isma'il
Bukhara
194
Sahih al-Bukhari
7275
256
Muslim
—
al-Hajjaj
Nishapur
204
Sahih Muslim
4000
261
Muhammad
at-Tirmidhi
'Isa
Tirmidh
209
Jami' at-Tirmidhi
4800
279
Sulayman
Abu Dawud
al-Ash'ath
Sijistan
201
Sunan Abi Dawud
4800
275
Ahmad
an-Nasa'i
Shu'ayb
Nasa
215
Sunan an-Nasa'i
4341
303
Muhammad
Ibn Majah
Yazid
Qazwin
209
Sunan Ibn Majah
4000
273
The numbers of hadiths and the dates are as given in the textbook; other sources sometimes give slightly different figures.
Memory tip:
Sahih (2): al-Bukhari, Muslim
Jami' (1): at-Tirmidhi
Sunan (3): Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah
Most hadiths: al-Bukhari (7275); born first: al-Bukhari (194 AH); died last: an-Nasa'i (303 AH).
6. Key Arabic terms
Arabic
Meaning
وحي غير متلو
Unrecited revelation
قول / فعل / تقرير
Words / actions / approval
الموطأ
Al-Muwatta' – Imam Malik's book of hadith
مسند
Al-Musnad – Imam Ahmad's book of hadith
الصحاح الستة
The six authentic collections of hadith
السنة
The Sunnah – the Prophet's way
Quick revision
Sunnah = qawl + fi'l + taqrir; wahy ghayr matluww; the wording is the Prophet's, the meaning is Allah's.
Evidence: 53:3–5, 4:80, 59:7, 3:31; "to teach you what you do not know" (Muslim); "I am leaving two things" (Muwatta').
The Prophet's steps to preserve it: telling people to pass it on, warning liars of Hell, memorisation and writing, appointing teachers, Ashab as-Suffah.
Compilation: 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz – Imam Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri; al-Muwatta' (Malik), al-Musnad (Ahmad).
As-Sihah as-Sittah: al-Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah.
