What is the Hadīth?

The Holy Qur’an is the sole scriptural text of Islam. It consists of a word-for-word book-length quotation of the words of Allah, and it is only considered God’s word if it is read or recited in Arabic. Any translation of the Qur’an is nothing more than the “meaning” of the Qur’an, but it not God’s actual words, because a translation would be a paraphrase or interpretation of what God said, rendered in a language other than the original language in which He delivered His words.

Second only in authority to the Qur’an would be the Hadīth (an Arabic word, meaning the “traditions”). This multi-volume collection of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is revered, not as scripture but as extremely authoritative; perhaps because it is believed to contain “some extra-Qur’anic revelations from God” in addition to the Prophet’s (PBUH) own words. Owing to the fact that it represents what the greatest of all of Allah’s Messengers taught and said, many hold it in the highest esteem. While Sunni Muslims and Shite Muslims do not share the same collection of authoritative sayings (i.e., Sunnis have six volumes of Hadīth whereas Shias have only four), nevertheless, each believes that the words of the Prophet Muhmmad (PBUH) are sacred, important, clarifying, and authoritative.

Not all the Hadīth are considered equally authoritative, in part because these “traditions” were compiled approximately 200 years after the life of the Prophet (PBUH) and, thus, it is not known if some of them are truly his actual teachings. Thus, there are several levels of classification, allowing practitioners to know what degree of credence they should give these important and prophetic sayings. Contingent upon the circumstances of the person reporting a given saying (e.g., did he hear it directly from the Prophet’s lips or only second hand) and whether the saying’s content is harmonious with the Holy Qur’an, the various Hadīth have different levels of authority. One source pointed out:

“Even before the whole of the Qur’ān was revealed, people used to ask the Apostle all sorts of questions as to the meaning of certain words in the verses revealed, or of their bearing on problems as they arose… The Apostle’s answers were carefully stored in the memory of the Companions and were afterwards written down. …In the evolution of the science of Hadīth, it became clear that even among the Companions [of Muhammad] certain persons had better memories than others, or better opportunities of becoming really acquainted with the Apostle’s true meaning [when he spoke]… The Hadīth literature dealt with all sorts of matters, including Theology, Ethics, and Exegesis.”

As a consequence of its means of development, a system of classification of the various Hadīth was needed, leading to the traditional four-level approach used today. A Sahih Hadīth is considered “sound” (and the most trustworthy of sayings). A Hasan Hadīth is perceived as “good” (or likely the actual words of the Prophet). A Da`if Hadīth is one which is understood to be “weak” (or unlikely to actually be something the Prophet said or taught). Finally, a Maudu` Hadīth is one which is known to be fabricated or unreliable. Thus, while the Sahih Hadīth are not the only “traditions” Muslims draw upon, they are the one’s which almost all would perceive as authoritative and authentic. Some of the other statements attributed to Muhammad (PBUH) are hotly debated among various Muslims, and are frequently rejected by certain practitioners of Islam.

It is worth noting that sometimes the Hadīth (or “traditions” of the Prophet) are confused or conflated with the Sunnah (or “path” of Islam). While these words are occasionally used interchangeably, they technically can refer to different things. As noted, the Hadīth are specific teachings (or words) which are believed to be traceable to the mouth of the Prophet (PBUH) himself. The Sunnah, on the other hand, are understood to contain some of his words, but also his deeds (or actions), in addition to a number of pre-Islamic practices or beliefs of which he is said to have approved. As one Islamic source states, the Sunnah “includes what he approved, allowed, or condoned when under prevailing circumstances, he might well have taken issue with others’ actions, decisions or practices; and what he himself refrained from and disapproved of.” So, while the Sunnah is technically tertiary in its authority, that should not imply it is lacking in influence. Certainly, there are “isolated instances where, in fact, the Sunnah appears to prevail over the Koran as, for example, when the Koran refers to three daily prayers (24:58 and 11:116), but the Sunnah sets five.” Thus, the Sunnah is significant and authoritative in its own right.

There are scholars of Islam who, by analogy, have compared the Qur’an to the Jewish Torah, and the Hadīth to Judaism’s Oral Torah—that second Jewish sacred text which comments on and clarifies the first. In essence, the comparison suggests that both the Qur’an and the Hadīth have authority, both carry a measure of inspiration, and both contain the words and will of God (through His Prophet) to His chosen people.