USOOL AL-HADEETH

Hadeeth literally means a saying or conversation, but Muhammad (sal) related by his Companions and collected in Books by those Scholars who came after them. The following is an example of what a Hadeeth looks like:

Musaddad told us that Yahyaa informed him from Shu'bah , from Qataadah, from Anas from the Prophet (sal) that he said:

"None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he love for himself."

[ Collected by al-Bukhaaree (1) ]

This means that the Hadeeth scholar Muhammad ibn Isma'eel al-Bukhaaree collected in his book of Hadeeth called Saheeh al-Bukhaaree the statement : "None of u truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself," which he it represents the sayings and actions of the Prophet heard from his Hadeeth teacher Musaddad, who heard it from his teacher Yahyaa, who was informed by his teacher Shu'bah that he heard it from his teacher Qataadah, a student of the Prophet's (sal) companion, who heard it quoted by the companions Anas ibn Maalik from the Prophet (sal).

THE STRUCTURE OF HADEETH

A hadeeth consists to two main parts : the Sanad and the Matn.

The Sanad

The list of the Narrators of the saying or action of the Prophet (sal) us called the Sanad. For example, in the above Hadeeth Sanad is:

"Musaddad told us that Yahyaa informed him from Shu'bah from Qataadah from Anas from the Prophet(sal) that he said:"

The Matn

The text of the Hadeeth or what the Prophet (sal) actually said or did is called the Matn. For example, in the above Hadeeth the Matn is:

"None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."

CLASSES OF HADEETH

Hadeeth are divided into two main categories: Hadeeth Sahih and Hadeeth Da'eef.

The Hadeeth Saheeh

If all of the Narrators in the Sanad fulfil the following three conditions, the Hadeeth is classified as an accurate saying or action of the Prophet (sal) actually said or did what was reported I the Hadeeth.

	(1)     The narrators must all be known to be truthful.
	(2)     They must all have had good memories, or have written down what they heard.
	(3)     They must all have met each other

Such a Hadeeth can be used to prove a point of Islamic Law which should be followed. The Hadeeth are the second most important source of Islamic Law and all true Muslims must follow them Allaah in the Qur'aan said :

"Whatever the Messenger gives you, you should accept and whatever he Forbids you, you should reject."

[ Soorah al-Hashr (59:7) ]

The only way that we can follow that command of God is to learn the Hadeeth of the Prophet (sal) and put them into practice.

The Hadeeth mentioned at the beginning of the chapter is a Hadeeth Saheeh which teaches Muslims abut Faith (Eemaan). True belief in God will cause the Believer to treat others will especially their brothers in faith. Human beings naturally want to be treated nicely, as such, good treatment is an important part of a comfortable and pleasant life. It develops love, trust, respect and many other good characteristics among people. In order to establish good human relations, Islaam encourages Muslims to treat other in the same good manner in which they would like to be treated by others.

Al-Bukhaaree collected from Muhammad ibn al-Muthannaa, from 'Abdul-Wahhab, from Ayoob from Abu Qilaabah, from Maalik that the Prophet (sal) said, "Pray as you have seen me praying." (1)

This Hadeeth fulfils the above-mentioned conditions and is therefore Saheeh. The point of Islamic law in it is that in formal prayer (Salah) we must follow the method used by the Prophet (sal). Muslims are not allowed to make up their own personal style of prayer, as it is not only disobedience to the Prophet (sal) but it will also lead to confusion in the prayer lines. The correct description of the Prophet's (sal) Salaah can be found in the books of Hadeeth. So we must read and find out how the Prophet (sal) prayed in order to follow him properly.

The Hadeeth Da'eef

If any of the Narrators in the Sanad were known to have had any of the following faults, the Hadeeth is then classified as being inaccurate and referred to as Da'eef.

	(1)     If any were known to have been liars.
	(4)     If any were known to have had bad memories.
	(5)     If any were known to have not met the one he was supposed to be narrating from.

The Hadeeth Da'eef is not a true saying or action of the Prophet (sal) and cannot be used to prove any point of Islamic Law. Any law which is based on such a Hadeeth scholars Abu Dawood and Ahmad collected a narration from Hafs ibn Ghayyaath who reported from 'Abdur-Rahman ibn Is-haaq from Ziyaad ibn Zayd from Abu Juhayfah that 'Alee ibn Abee Talib was supposed to have said,

"The Sunnah position of hands in Salaah is to place one hand on the other hand, below the navel."

However, this Hadeeth is classified as Da'eef because Abdur-Rahmaan was a known liar. Therefore, it can not be used to support the practice of placing one's hands below the navel in Salaah. The correct practice is as Taawoos reported in another Hadeeth which is Saheeh. He said that Allaah's Messenger (sal) used to put his right hand on his lift hand and place them on his chest whenever he was in Salaah. This Hadeeth was also collected by Abu Dawood and Ahmad as will as Ibn Khuzaymah. Of course, the placing of one's hands below the navel or on the navel does not ruin one's Salaah.

Al-Hasan ibn 'Ateeyah reported from Abu 'Aatikah from Anas that the Prophet (sal) said,

"seek knowledge even in China."

This Hadeeth was collected by the hadeeth scholars Ibn 'Adee and Abu Nu'aym. Although it is a commonly quoted Hadeeth which is well known among Muslims, it is not accurate. Abu 'Aatikah was accused of falsifying Hadeeth, thus this narration is classified as Da'eef Hadeeths called Mawdoo (fabricated). Consequently it is incorrect to quote this statement as a Hadeeth of the Prophet (sal), because many of his companions have quoted him as saying,

"Let whoever deliberately lies about me take his seat in the Hellfire" (1)

The most famous books of Hadeeth are called The Sound Six" (asSihaah as-Sittah). They are Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Saheeh Muslim, Sunnan Abu Daawood, Sunan at-Tirmidhee, Sunan an-Nasaa'ee and Sunan Ibn Maajah. The oldest collection of Hadeeth to reach us is the Muwatta of Maalik and the largest collection of Hadeeth is the Musnad ofAhmad. The most accurate collection of Hadeeths is that of al-Bukhaaree and the second most accurate is that of Muslim. That is, one may freely quote Hadeeths from both the Saheehs of al-Bukhaaree and Muslim as evidence, because they are very nearly all authentic.

However, the other books of Hadeeths contain a number of inaccurate narrations which cannot be used as evidence. Therefore, only the Hadeeths which have been rated accurate by the scholars may be used from the other books. It should also be noted that most modern books only mention the last narrator before the Prophet (sal) when quoting Hadeeths in order to save time and space.