HADITH- UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

In Arabic, Hadith translates to a collective of report, action, narrative or account. In Islam, the word holds an imperative meaning as it refers to the actions, words and even the silent approval of the great Prophet Muhammad. The authority and importance of Hadith generally ranks only second to that of the iconic Quran. Essentially, many tracts and verses of the Quran advices and directs all the followers of Allah to emulate and obey the judgements and thoughts of the great Prophet himself. As such, it is a document that enumerates the strict laws that govern a Muslim’s life.

While there are many instructions and guidelines spread throughout the Quran, it does not specify anything that can strictly be called as a law. Hadith scriptures, on the other hand, not only give directions pertaining to religious obligations and duties, but it also canonizes and establishes the different form of salutations, clothing, etiquette and community interactions that comprise of the more prosaic moments of an everyday Muslim life. The infamous Sharia Law is said to be generally derived from these statutes as opposed to that of the Quran, which many people still believe or assume as such.

Unlike the Quran, Hadith was not composed and compiled during the Prophet’s lifetime, nor was it something that he explicitly commissioned to be made. Historians generally believe that the Hadith and its directives was gathered and put into effect generations after Muhammad’s death during the 8th and 9th centuries AD in order to basically provide a single unifying law that the large swathes of newly converted Muslims needed to be governed under a single rule, then known as the Caliphate. As such, most Muslims do not even believe or consider Hadith texts to be the invaluable directives of Allah himself, also unlike to the status afforded to the Quran.

As a result of questionable and, sometimes, even contradictory statements that are present in the Hadith scriptures, extensive study and research have afforded it a special importance of its own. There are many versions of these directive texts that has attracted researchers and religious experts to study these different versions and their relative significance to one another. For instance, in its classical form the Hadith has two parts: the chain of narrators who had compiled the entire thing called the “isnad”, and also the main text generally referred to as the “matn”.

The Hadith are an important historical and religious document that gives us an insight of what the first few generations of Muslims envisioned Islam to be. It has also been translated to many languages including the publication of many versions of Hadith books in English. You may go and visit Kitab Mart, at your own leisure, the very best Hadith books in English at great prices.

Richard Deniel is the author of this Article. For more information about Hadith Books in English please visit the website.