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Hadith: Difference between revisions
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{{QualityScore|Lead= | {{QualityScore|Lead=3|Structure=3|Content=2|Language=2|References=2}}'''Hadith''' (الحديث; pl. ''ahadith'') literally translates to mean "talk", but is most commonly used as an Islamic term that refers to any, orally-transmitted account of [[Muhammad]]'s life, wherein Muhammad does, says, or tacitly (that is, silently) approves of something. The hadiths, passed down orally before being written down, for the most part, roughly 200 years after [[Muhammad's Death|Muhammad's death]], are second in their religious authority only to the [[Qur'an]] and, since the collections of hadith are far, far vaster (and more detailed) than the (at times vague) Qur'an, they form the basis for the great majority of [[Islamic law]] and the [[Sunnah]]. Indeed, even the details regarding the [[Five Pillars of Islam]] are found only in the hadith (the Qur'an, focused more on matters of belief, simply mentions these rituals every once in a while without providing anything in the way of clear details). | ||
More broadly, the word "Hadith" refers to the statements and actions of Muhammad as well as his [[companions]]. In the Shi'ite tradition, the term "Hadith" extends to include the statements and actions of the ''ahl al-bayt'' (Muhammad's descendants through Fatima, as well as the twelve Imams). | More broadly, the word "Hadith" refers to the statements and actions of Muhammad as well as his [[companions]]. In the Shi'ite tradition, the term "Hadith" extends to include the statements and actions of the ''ahl al-bayt'' (Muhammad's descendants through Fatima, as well as the twelve Imams). | ||
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==Compilation and authenticity== | ==Compilation and authenticity== | ||
=== Oral traditions and early sectarianism === | ===Oral traditions and early sectarianism=== | ||
Though the authenticity of ''any'' of the Hadith has come under increasing scrutiny in modern times (in light of scholarship on the reliability of oral traditions, virtually unending political conflicts after Muhammad's death, frequent internal contradiction, and, often, clear cases of fabrication), the early scholars of Islam responsible for the transcription of the hadith did themselves employ a seemingly sophisticated method of verification that relied on the plausibility of: the "chains" of transmission (or ''asaneed;'' sing. ''isnad'') allegedly connecting the hadith back to the prophet, the reliability of the narrators' morals and memory, and, indeed, the ''matn'', or text, of the hadith itself (that is, the plausibility of the prophet actually having said/done what the report attests to). | Though the authenticity of ''any'' of the Hadith has come under increasing scrutiny in modern times (in light of scholarship on the reliability of oral traditions, virtually unending political conflicts after Muhammad's death, frequent internal contradiction, and, often, clear cases of fabrication), the early scholars of Islam responsible for the transcription of the hadith did themselves employ a seemingly sophisticated method of verification that relied on the plausibility of: the "chains" of transmission (or ''asaneed;'' sing. ''isnad'') allegedly connecting the hadith back to the prophet, the reliability of the narrators' morals and memory, and, indeed, the ''matn'', or text, of the hadith itself (that is, the plausibility of the prophet actually having said/done what the report attests to). | ||
Despite this apparent rigor, the hadith would ultimately be compiled along sectarian, political, and polemical lines, generally with narrations supporting the compiling group's point of view (matn-based analysis playing no small part in this outcome). Today, [[Sunnis]] and [[Shi'ites]] have separate collections of hadiths. That the meaning of "hadith" extended to include the sayings and doings of Muhammad's companions, many of whom would be deeply embroiled in the political turmoil that would follow Muhammad's death (prominently, [[Ali]] and [[Aisha]]), only facilitated the splitting of the tradition. | Despite this apparent rigor, the hadith would ultimately be compiled along sectarian, political, and polemical lines, generally with narrations supporting the compiling group's point of view (matn-based analysis playing no small part in this outcome). Today, [[Sunnis]] and [[Shi'ites]] have separate collections of hadiths. That the meaning of "hadith" extended to include the sayings and doings of Muhammad's companions, many of whom would be deeply embroiled in the political turmoil that would follow Muhammad's death (prominently, [[Ali]] and [[Aisha]]), only facilitated the splitting of the tradition. | ||
=== Degrees of authenticity === | ===Degrees of authenticity=== | ||
While circumstances surrounding and preceding the compilation of the hadith cast the entire corpus in a dubious light, the hadith cannot be viewed as entirely reliable or unreliable, as even hadith scholars themselves differentiate(d) between what they grade(d) as: | While circumstances surrounding and preceding the compilation of the hadith cast the entire corpus in a dubious light, the hadith cannot be viewed as entirely reliable or unreliable, as even hadith scholars themselves differentiate(d) between what they grade(d) as: | ||