AUTHENTICITY OF AHADITH

CONTENTS• What is hadith?• Importance of hadith.• Components of hadith.• Need for authentication of hadith.• Fann-e-Daraayat.• Fann-e-Riwaayat.• Screening for authentification.• Types of ahadith according to chain of

narrators. • Types of ahadith according to number of

narrators.• Types of ahadith according to qualities of

narrators.• Narrators of ahadith.• Collection of ahadith books.

• Narrative describing words, actions and approval of Prophet (PBUH)• EXAMPLE: “God does not judge you according to your bodies and appearances, but He looks into your hearts and observes your deeds.” (MUSLIM)

WHAT IS HADITH?

In Holy Quran, Allay says:“And whatsoever the messenger gives you, takeit, and whatsoever forbids you, abstain from that.And fear Allah, surely, Allah is Severe in Retribution.( Surah Al-Hashar Verse 8)This verse clearly highlights the importance ofHadith.

IMPORTANCE OF HADITH

COMPONENTS OF HADITH

• Consists of 2 parts.a)Matn ( Original text of the teaching )b)Isnad ( Chain of narrators )

TERMINOLOGY FOR

TRANSFER OF HADITH

EXAMPLE:

Al-Humaydi’ Abdullah Ibn al Zubayr said:

Sufyan related to us saying: Yahya Ibn Sá’id al-Ansari said: Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim al-Taymi

told me that he heard, Alqama Ibn Waqqas al-Kaythi

saying: I heard Hazrat Umar Ibn Khattab

say: I heard the Holy Prophet of Allah

say:

“Actions are judged by intensions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended, So whoever emigrates for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry,His emigration will be for what he has emigrated for.”

• Hadith is Matn.• Isnad consists of 6 names.

NEED FORAUTHENTICATION

OF HADITH• Ahadith were invaded by many fabricators.• Scholars formulated methods to check the authenticity of ahadith.• Criterias were developed for evaluation of Matn and Isnad.1) Fann-e-Daraayat2) Fann-e-Riwaayat

• Internal test.• Puts the objective of hadith under trial.• Determines whether the subject is acceptable or not.

FANN - E - DARAAYAT

The text of ahadith should be according to theset standard for the evaluation of ahadith.

• Should nor prescribe heavy punishment for minor sins.• Should not prescribe large awards for small virtues.• Should not be contrary to basic teachings o Holy Quran.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATAION OF MATN

• Text should not be contrary to other ahadith.• Should be according to basic logic and known principles of human society.• Should be consistent with historical facts.• Should not be derogatory to Prophet (PBUH), his family members or companions.• Should not be by an obscure narrator who was not known during the age of Sahabah or Tabi’een.• Should not be praising an individual, a definite location or tribe.

• Text should not be giving precise details of events that took place after the Holy Prophet’s time.• Shold be the original narration of the Prophet (PBUH).

• External test.• Investigation of complete chain of narrators.

FANN - E - RIWAAYAT

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF

ISNAD

• Undisputed character of narrator (RAWI) is the most important

consideration for the acceptance of hadith.

• Name, title, parentage and occupation of narrator should be known.• Narrator should be a pious and virtous person.• Should not have been accused of having lied, given false evidence or committed a crime.• Should not have spoken against other reliable people.• Religious beliefs and practices of narrator should have been known to be correct.

• Narrator should be mentally and physically capable to understand and remember the hadith.• Successive narrators should have been lived in the same period.

SCREENING

• Out of 70 traditionists, Malik bin Anas chose a few to listen to.• He used to drop the whole hadith if he doubted a part of it.• Yahya bin Sa’id used to accept only those ahadith which were supported by 30 independent chain of narrators.

• Masruq used to travel for learning ahadith.• He got the nickname of ABU-AL-SAFAR (Father of Journeys)• Early hadith scholars took hadith from numerous trustworthy masters. they wanted to gather whatever the narrator had, then to compare and crosscheck the text for aunthentification.• Abu Ishaq learnt ahadith from 400 teachers.

TYPES OF HADITH ACCORDING TO

CHAIN OF NARRATORS

1. MARFU HADITH (DIRECT QUOTATION)

• Elevated hadith.• Ultimately reaches the Prophet (PBUH)

EXAMPLE:Imam Bukhari reported from Al-Humaidi AbdullahIbn Zubair who reported from Sufyan who reported From Yahya Ibn Sa’id al Ansari who reported From Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim al Taymi who Reported from Alqama Ibn Waqqa al Laythiwho said: I heard Umar Ibn Al Khattab sayingwhile on a pulpit, “I heard Prophet saying:the reward of deeds depends un the intentions,and every person will get the reward accordingto what he has intended, so whoever emigratedfor worldy benefits or for a woman to marry hisemigration was for that he intended.

2. MUTTASIL HADITH

• Continuous hadith.• Goes back only to a companion or successor.

4. MUNQATI HADITH

Broken hadith.Link anywhere before the successor is missing.

TYPES OF HADITHACCORDING TO

NUMBER OFNARRATORS

1. MUTAWATIR HADITH

• Consecutive hadith• Reported by large number of

people

• EXAMPLE: “Whoever invents a lie and attributes it to me intentionally, let him prepare his seat in fire.” This hadith is narrated by 62 narrators.

AHAD HADITH• Narrated by people whose number

does not reach that of Mutawatir.• May be one, two or more than two.

• EXAMPLE

“We are last but will be the foremost on the day of Resurrection.”

This hadith is reported by 2 people.

• Hazrat Abu Bakar (RA), Prophet’s (PBUH) close companion.• Reported that Muslims kissed their thumbs on hearing Prophet’s (PBUH) name in Adhaan.• Report was rejected because it was not mentioned by any other companion.• Muhadithin did not want to take any risk.• Hadith from a single authority was rejected.

TYPES OF HADITHACCORDING TOQUALITIES OFNARRATORS

1. SAHIH HADITH

• Sound and authentic hadith.• Narrated by many pious, truthful narrators with good memory.

Qutaiba narrates on the authority ofJafar bin Suleman Az Zabal, he on the authorityof Abi Bakkar bin Abi Musa his father Al-Asha’ri who says that he heard Prophet (PBUH)saying:“Jannat is under the shadow of swords.”

In this hadith, all the narrators are excellentexcept Jafar bin Suleman Az Zabbal who isthought to have defective memory so this hadithhas the status of Hasan hadith.

3. DA’IF HADITH• Weak hadith.• Piety and memory of narrator is questioned.

• EXAMPLE

• “Whoever mistreats a dhimmi will be Allah’s opponent.”

• ORIGINAL “Whoever kills a dhimmi for no lawful reason will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.”

4. FABRICATED HADITH

• Matn is against the norms of Prophet’s (PBUH)• sayings.• One or more reporters are liars.

• EXAMPLE

“Thinking for an hour is better than worshipping for 60 years.”

• ORIGINAL

“Standing for an hour in the ranks of battle is better than standing in prayer for 60 years.”

NARRATORS OF AHADITH• Hazrat Abu Huraira (RA) (5300 ahadith)• Hazrat Abdullah Bin Omer (RA) (2600 ahadith)• Hazrat Ayesha (RA) (2200 ahadith)• Hazrat Abdullah Bin Masood (RA) (848 ahadith)• Hazrat Ali (RA) (586 Aahadith)• Hazrat Umer (RA) (537 ahadith)• Hazrat Abu Bakar (RA) (132 ahadith)

AHADITH BOOKS • Sahih Bukhari (2602 ahadith)• Sahih Muslim (2200 ahadith)• Sunan Abu Dawud (5724 ahadith with repetitions)• Sunan Nasai (5700 ahadith with repetitions)• Sunan Tirmidhi (3956 ahadith)• Sunan Ibn Majah (4341 ahadith)• Mota Imam Malik (1720 ahadith)

THE END