Hadith studies

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Hadith
Hadith studies Terminology Types (categories) Biographical evaluation Musannaf Israʼiliyyat
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Related topics Ahl al-Hadith Criticism Sheikh al-Hadith
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Hadith studies (Arabic: علم الحديث ʻilm al-ḥadīth "science of hadith", also science of hadith, or science of hadith criticism or hadith criticism)^{[1][Note 1]} consists of several religious scholarly disciplines used by Muslim scholars in the study and evaluation of the hadith—i.e. what most Muslims and the mainstream schools of Islamic sects believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as transmitted through chains of narrators.^[2]

For most Muslims, determining authenticity of hadith is enormously important in Islam because along with the Quran, the Sunnah of the Islamic prophet—his words, actions, and the silent approval—are considered the explanation of the divine revelation (wahy), and the record of them (i.e. hadith) provides the basis of Islamic law (Sharia). In addition, while the number of verses pertaining to law in the Quran is relatively few, hadith, for many, give direction on everything from details of religious obligations (such as Ghusl or Wudu, ablutions^[3] for salat prayer), to the correct forms of salutations,^[4] and the importance of benevolence to slaves.^[5] Thus the "great bulk" of the rules of Islamic law are derived from hadith, along with the Quran as a primary source.^{[6][Note 2]}

There are three primary ways to determine the authenticity (sihha) of a hadith: by attempting to determine whether there are "other identical reports from other transmitters"; determining the reliability of the transmitters of the report; and "the continuity of the chain of transmission" of the hadith.^[1]

Traditional hadith studies has been praised by some as "unrivaled, the ultimate in historical criticism",^[8] and heavily criticized for failing to filter out a massive amount of hadith "which cannot possibly be authentic".^[9] However, both Muslims and western scholars have criticised the hadith. Quranists reject the authority of the hadiths, viewing them as un-Quranic;^[10][11] some further claim that most hadiths are fabrications (pseudepigrapha) created in the 8th and 9th century AD, and which are falsely attributed to Muhammad.^[12][13][14]

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