WHAT IS HADITH?

The Word "Hadith" is an Arabic term which  basically means *a conversation, a tale, a story, a report or an item of news..*

Islamically, it means whatever transmitted from the Prophet PBUH of his *actions, sayings, approvals and to an extent the physical characteristics* 

So the Basis of Hadith in Islam is traced back to the Prophet PBUH...

The Term Hadith also has featured in the Qur'an and comes in different instances or forms..

Hadith in the Qur'an sometimes has been used to mean *the Qur'an itself, A Historical Story and A General Conversation...*

 *1. The Qur'an Itself*

In Surat Qalam Verse 44;

فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا *ٱلْحَدِيثِۖ* سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ 

So leave Me, [O Muhammad], with [the matter of] whoever denies *the Qur'an.* We will progressively lead them [to punishment] from where they do not know.

 *2. A Historical Story*

In numerous places of the Qur'an;

هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰٓ 

Has there reached you the story of Moses? -

 *3. A Conversation*

At-Tahrim 66:3

وَإِذْ أَسَرَّ ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِلَىٰ بَعْضِ أَزْوَٰجِهِۦ *حَدِيثًا* ...

And [remember] when the Prophet confided to one of his wives *a statement;* .....

So now, *How Important Are Hadith?*

As Muslims, Hadith are very important to us because *it makes the 2nd most important aspect of our religion..*

Through Hadith *we understand the Qur'an perfectly* because we get explanations of it from the Prophet PBUH Himself...

Also through Hadith, *We learn the Kind of Lives we ought to live as Muslims* because tit bits of The Life of The Prophet PBUH have been captured in hadith...

Through Hadith also, *we understand certain reasons behind certain laws and derive rulings also with regards to our daily lives...*

Then we move on to;

*What Qualifies Something or A Piece As Hadith?*

A Hadith is composed of two primary things; 

1. *Sanad (سند)* = List or Chain of Narrators

2. *Matn (متن)* = Text or Subject Matter of The Hadith

So an example of Hadith is this 🏾

سند: عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم

متن: "مِنْ حُسْنِ إسْلَامِ الْمَرْءِ تَرْكُهُ مَا لَا يَعْنِيهِ"

Sanad:- On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, 

Matn :  “Part of the perfection of one’s Islam is his leaving that which does  not concern him.”

So If A piece should have these both thus a chain of narrators or a narrator and the text then it qualifies to be a hadith but is that conclusive as divine in Islam?

*No!* and that brings us to the next aspect of discussion; *Classification or Types of Hadith*

Primarily; There are two categories also and they are;

1. *Hadith Saheeh* = Authentic Hadeeth

2. *Hadith Da'eef* = Unauthentic Saying (could be fabricated or a weak)

For a Hadith to be authentic or Saheeh it should satisfy 3 conditions which are;

 1. The narrators *must* all be known to be truthful

2. The narrators *must* all possess good memories, or what scribed down what they heard when the Prophet reported it.

3. They must have met each other; meaning a narrator who claims to have heard from a narrator preceding him or her should prove they met..

And a Hadith becomes Unauthentic or Da'eef of  it meets any of this faults;

1. If any of the narrators were known to have been liars...

2. If any was known to have had a bad memory...

3. If any of the narrators were proven or known to have not met the one he was supposed to be narrating from...

I end here and appreciate your audience..

 All faults from what I have scribed or discussed is from my self and the Truth and Right of it is from Allah and Then His Messenger..

I appreciate your audience and platform..

May Allah accept from us and grant us beneficial knowledge... Assalamu Alaikum