Compilation
1. Era of The Prophet
During the life of the Prophet (¢) there was no pressing need to write down all of his various statements or record his actions because he was present and could be consulted at any time. As a matter of fact, the Prophet (¢) himself made a general prohibition against writing down his statements which were other than the Qur’aan itself.1 This was to prevent the possibility of mixing up the Qur’aan with his own words during the era of revelation. Consequently, the greatest stress regarding writing was placed on recording the Qur’aanic verses. However, there are many authentic narrations collected by the Scholars of Hadeeth that prove that Hadeeth were recorded in writing even during the lifetime of the Prophet (¢). For example, ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr said: “I used to write everything which I heard from the Messenger of Allaah (¢) with the intention of memorizing it. However, some Qurayshites forbade me from doing so saying, ‘Do you write everything that you hear from him, while the Messenger of Allaah is a human being who speaks in anger and pleasure?’ So I stopped writing, and mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah (¢). He pointed with his finger to his mouth and said: ‘Write! By Him in whose hand is my soul, only truth comes out from it.’2
Aboo Hurayrah said: When Makkah was conquered, the Prophet (¢) stood up and gave a sermon [Aboo Hurayrah then mentioned the sermon]. A man from Yemen, called Aboo Shaah got up and said, “O Messenger of Allaah! Write it down for me.” The Messenger of Allaah (¢) replied, “Write it for Aboo Shaah.”3 Al-Waleed asked Aboo ‘Amr, “What are they writing?” He replied, “The sermon which he heard that day.”4
Aboo Qaabeel said: We were with ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas and he
1 Saheeh Muslim, zuhd, 72. This is the only authentic hadeeth on the topic and al-Bukhaaree and others considered it to be a statement of Aboo Sa‘eed himself that was erroneously attributed to the Prophet (¢). See Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature, p. 28.
2 Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3, p. 1035, no. 3639 and authenticated in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, no. 3099. The collection of Hadeeth of ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr is known as as-Saheefah as-Saadiqah.
3 Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3, no. 3641 and authenticated in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, no. 3100.
4 Ibid., vol. 3 no. 3642 and authenticated Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, no. 3101.
was asked which city will be conquered first Constantinople or Rome? So ‘Abdullaah called for a sealed trunk and he said, “Take out the book from it.”
Then ‘Abdullaah said, “While we were with the Messenger of Allaah (¢) writing, The Messenger of Allaah (¢) was asked, “Which city will be conquered first, Constantinople or Rome?” So Allaah’s Messenger (¢) said: “The city of Heracilius will be conquered first,” meaning Constantinople.”5
2. Era of The Sahaabah6
After the death of the Prophet (¢) his saying and action took of a new importance because he was no longer there to consult when problems arose. The practise of narration on a large scale started during this period. For example, when the Prophet (¢) died, the Sahaabah debated about where to bury him. This debate ended when Aboo Bakr told them “I heard the messenger say, “No prophet dies but he is buried where he died.”7 Thus a grave was dug immediately below the bed on which he died in the house of ‘Aa’ishah. In this period a number of the leading Sahaabah wrote down hadeeths of the Prophet (¢).
The following are just a few of the leading narrators of the Prophet’s traditions who were known to have recorded them in writing.
Aboo Hurayrah to whom 5374 channels of hadeeth narrations are attributed, actually narrated 1236 hadeeth. Hasan in ‘Amr ad-Damaree saw many books in his possession.8
‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abbaas to whom 1660 channels of narrations are attributed used to write whatever he heard9 and even employed his slaves to record for him.10
‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al- ‘Aas to whom 700 channels are attributed was
5 Saheeh: Musnad Ahmad (2: 176), Sunan ad-Daarimee (1: 126) and Mustadrak al Haakim (3: 422).
6 The disciples or the companions of the Prophet (¢), as-Sahaabah, are sometimes referred to as
the first generation of Islaam. Any person who had the privilege of meeting the Prophet (¢) and died believing in him is classified as a Sahaabee. 7 The Life of Muhammad, p. 688.
8 Fat’h al-Baaree, vol.1, p. 217. 9 Tabaqaat ibn Sa‘d, vol. 2, p. 123.
10 Tarateeb, by al-Kattaanee, vol. 2, no. 247.
know to recorded books of hadeeths during the Prophet’s lifetime with he titled as-Saheefah as-Saheehah.
Aboo Bakr was reported to have written down over 500 different sayings of the Prophet (¢).
Ibn al-Jawzee, who provides a list of all the companions who related traditions, gives the names of about 1,060 together with the number of hadeeths related by each. 500 related only 1 hadeeth each; 132 related only 2 each; 80 related 3; 52 related 4; 32 related 5; 26 related 6; 27 related 7; 18 related 8; 11 related 9; 60 related between 10 and 20; 84 related between 20 and 100; 27 related between 100 and 500 and only 11 related more than 500 of which only 6 related more than 1,000 hadeeth, and they are commonly referred to as the mukaththiroon (the reporters of many traditions). Today, a graduate of the college of hadeeth in the Islamic University of Madeenah is required to memorize 250 hadeeth during each of the four years of his study (i.e., a total of 1,000 hadeeths).
From the above, it can readily be seen that fewer than 300 companions related the vast majority of traditions.11
3. Era of The Taabi’oon12 (1st Century Hijrah)
After Islaam had spread into the Middle East, India, North Africa and the narration of hadeeth had become widespread, there arose people who began to invent hadeeths. To combat this development, Caliph ‘Umar ibn Abdul-Azeez (reign 99 to 101 AH -71 8 to 720 C.E.) ordered the scholars to compile the traditions of the Prophet (¢). The scholars had already begun composing books containing biographical data on the various narrators of hadeeth in order to expose the liars and fabricators. Aboo Bakr ibn Hazm (d.120/737) was among those directed by the Caliph to compile the hadeeth. Caliph ‘Umar requested him to write down all the hadeeths of the Prophet (¢) and of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab and to pay particular attention to gathering the hadeeths of ‘Amrah bint ‘Abdir
11 Hadith Literature, pp. 18-19. 12 The generation which followed the companions studying under them are referred to as the Tabi’oon (followers or successors) e.g. Aboo Haneefah and Mujaahid.
Rahmaan, who was at that time the most respected custodian of the narrations of ‘Aa’ishah. Sa‘d ibn Ibraaheem and Ibn Shihaab az-Zuhree were also requested to compile books and az-Zuhree became the first compiler of hadeeth to record the biographies of the narrators with particular reference to their character and honesty. In this period the systematic compilation of hadeeths was begun on a fairly wide scale.
However, among the students of the companions, many recorded hadeeths and collected them in books. The following is a list of the top 12 narrators of hadeeths among the Prophet’s companions and their students who had their narrations in written form.
Aboo Hurayrah (5374)13: Nine of his students were recorded to have written hadeeths from him.
Ibn ‘Umar (2630): Eight of his students wrote down hadeeths from him.
Anas ibn Maalik (2286): Sixteen of his students had hadeeths in written form from him.
‘Aa’ishah bint Abee Bakr (2210): Three of her students had her hadeeths in written form.
Ibn ‘Abbaas (1660): Nine of his students recorded his hadeeths in books.
Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillaah (1540): Fourteen of his students wrote down his hadeeths.
Aboo Sa‘eed al-Khudree (1170): None of his students wrote. Ibn Mas‘ood (748): None of his students wrote.
‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (700): Seven of his students had his hadeeths in written form.
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (537): He recorded many hadeeths in official letters.
‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib (536): Eight of his students recorded his hadeeths in writing.
Aboo Moosaa al-Ash‘aree (360): Some of his hadeeths were in the possession of Ibn ‘Abbaas in written from.
13 The total number of hadeeths or more properly, channels of narration of hadeeth ascribed to the companion.
Al-Barraa ibn ‘Aazib (305): Was known to have dictated his narrations.
Of Aboo Hurayrah’s nine students known to have written hadeeths, Hammaam ibn Munabbih’s book has survived in manuscript form and has been edited by Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah and published in 1961 in Hyderabad, India.14
4. Era of The Taabi‘ut-Taabi‘een15 (2nd Century)
In the period following that of the Taabi’oon, the hadeeths were systematically collected and written in texts. One of the earliest works was al-Muwatta composed by Maalik ibn Anas. Other books of hadeeth were also written by scholars of Maalik’s time by the likes of al-Awzaa‘ee who lived in Syria, ‘Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak of Khurasaan, Hammaad ibn Salamah of Basrah and Sufyaan ath-Thawree of Kufah. However, the only work which survived from that time is that of Imaam Maalik. It could be said that in this period the majority of the hadeeths were collected in the various centers of Islaam.
The reason why these three generations have been given special consideration is because the Prophet (¢) was reported to have said, “The best of generations is my generation, then the one which follows them, then the one that follows them.”16 It was through these three generations that hadeeth was first transmitted orally and in writing, until they were compiled into collections on a wide and a systematic scale.
5. Era of The Saheehs (3rd Century Hijrah)
There arose in the third century scholars who undertook the job of critical research of the hadeeths that were narrated and compiled in the first two
14 Studies in Early Hadith Literature, p. 38. 15 The generation of students of the successors, Taabi’oon are referred to as successors of successors Taabi’ut-Tabi’een e.g. Maalik ibn Anas.
16 Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim
centuries. They also grouped the hadeeth which they considered to be accurate according to the branches of Islaamic Law. E.g. From this period is the book Saheeh al-Bukhaaree containing 7,275 hadeeth which al-Bukhaaree (died-870 C.E.) chose from 600,000 and Saheeh Muslim which contains 9,200 hadeeths which Imaam Muslim selected from 300,000. Besides these two works of Hadeeth, there are four other works which became famous during this period. They are the four sunan of Aboo Dawud (died 889 C.E.), at-Tirmithee (died 893 C.E.), an-Nasaa’ee (died 916 C.E.) and Ibn Maajah (died 908 C.E.).
Stages of writing
- The first stage covers the period of the first century A.H. which began in July 622 C.E. or the early part of the century C.E. It was the age of the companions and their successors often referred to as the age of the Saheefah, that is, a sheet or some sort of writing material such as shoulder blades or parchments on which a number of hadeeth were written. E.g. Saheefah Aboo Bakr and Saheefah Saadiqah of ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr. The aim of the first stage was mainly recording the hadeeth without any particular format.
- The second period covers the middle of the second century A.H. is referred to as the stage of Musannaf (i.e. classified organized work). The second stage represents a planned compilation of hadeeth grouped under headings denoting their subject matter. E.g. Muwatta Maalik
- The third stage known as the stage of Musnad (compilation of hadeeth according to the companion’s names). This stage began at the close of second century A.H. e.g. Musnad Ahmad.
- The fourth and most important stage is known as the stage of Saheeh. This stage began during the first half of the third century A.H. (9th century C.E.) and overlaps the period of the musnad e.g. Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Saheeh Muslim and Saheeh Ibn Khuzaymah.
The Companion-Narrators
ABOO HURAYRAH. Aboo Hurayrah stands at the head of the list of hadeeth transmitters, due to the sheer bulk of his narrations. He had been regarded by the Prophet himself as the most anxious of all Muslims to acquire knowledge of hadeeth. Belonging to the tribe of Daws, an offshoot of the great clan of Azd, he came to Medina in the seventh year of the Hijra, and on being told that the Prophet was at Khaybar, went there and accepted Islam. Since that time, and until the death of the Prophet, he kept his company constantly, attending him and memorising his words during the day, thereby sacrificing all worldly pursuits and pleasures. We are told that he divided his nights into three parts: one for sleeping, one for prayer, and one for study. After the death of the Prophet, he was appointed governor of Bahrain for a while during the caliphate of ‘Umar and acted as governor of Medina under the early Umayyad caliphs. He died in 59/678.
When the Prophet had died, and information about religion and legal judgements had to be sought indirectly, Aboo Hurayrah (who instructed more than 800 students in hadeeth) poured out the store of knowledge he had so meticulously accumulated. At times he was taken to task for reporting certain traditions which were unknown to other Companions. But he would reply that he had simply learnt what the Ansaar had missed because of attending to their lands and properties, and what the Emigrants had failed to learn because of their commercial activities. Once, when he was taken to task by ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar for relating a particular hadeeth, he took him to Aa’ishah who bore witness to the truth of what he had related. His knowledge and memory were also tested by Marwaan, who, having written down some traditions related by him, wanted him to relate the same after a year. He found them to be exactly identical to his earlier narration.
Bearing in mind Aboo Hurayrah's intense dedication to learning hadeeth, his devotion to the Prophet, and the various tests which were applied to his memory and scholarship by his contemporaries during his life, it is inconceivable that he would have fabricated any hadeeth. This does not mean, however, that material was not falsely imputed to him at a later date. The fact that he narrated a uniquely large number of traditions itself did make inventing hadeeths in his name an attractive proposition.
‘ABDULLAAH IBN ‘UMAR. The second most prolific narrator of hadeeth, he was the son of the second Caliph. He had accepted Islam simultaneously with his father, and emigrated to Medina with him. He took part in many battles during the Prophet's lifetime, and in the wars in Mesopotamia, Persia and Egypt, but maintained strict neutrality in the conflicts that erupted among the Muslims following the assassination of Uthmaan. Despite the immense esteem and honour in which he was held by all Muslims, who repeatedly asked him to become caliph (an offer which he refused), he kept himself aloof from factional strife, and throughout those years led an unselfish, pious life, setting an example of an ideal citizen just as his father had set an example of an ideal ruler. He died in Mecca in the year 74/692 at the age of 87.
‘Abdullaah's long association with the Prophet, his kinship with Hafsa Umm al-Mu'minin, and with certain other Companions, offered him a superb opportunity to learn hadeeth; and his long peaceful life gave him time and leisure enough to teach and spread hadeeths among the Muslims who assiduously sought them.
He was renowned for the extreme scrupulousness with which he related hadeeths. Ash-Sha‘bee remarks that he did not hear a single hadeeth from him for a whole year. When he related hadeeths, his eyes filled with tears. His activities in the service of Islam, his austere life, his straightforward and honest character, and his careful treatment of the hadeeths, render the material we have from him of the highest value.
ANAS IBN MALIK. At the age of ten, Anas was presented by his mother, Umm Sulaym, to the Prophet (¢), following his migration to Madeenah. From that time until the Prophet's death, he was his favourite attendant, and afterwards he was appointed by Aboo Bakr as a tax-collector at Bahrayn. Towards the end of his life he settled at Basra, where he died in the year 711, at the age of over a hundred.
During the ten years he spent in the Prophet's service, he was able to memorise a large number of his words, of which he later also learnt a good deal from Aboo Bakr, Umar, and many other Companions.55 His knowledge of hadeeth was so copious that his death was regarded as a death-blow to half of the entire mass of traditions.
The traditionists accept him as one of the most prolific narrators of hadeeth.
‘AA’ISHAH UMM AL-MU'MINEEN. ‘Aa’ishah occupies the fourth place among the mukaththiroon. She enjoyed the constant company of the Prophet for about eight and a half years.57 She died in 5 7/676 at the age of 65.
Aa’ishah was naturally endowed with a retentive memory and a developed critical faculty, having memorised a large number of the ancient Arab poems, on which she was a recognised authority. During her lifetime she was also honoured for her expertise in medicine and in Islamic law. Regarding the hadeeth, she had not only learnt a large volume of these from her husband, she also showed a critical appreciation of them, and corrected the mistakes in understanding of many Companions. When, for instance, Ibn ‘Umar related that the Prophet had said that the dead are punished in their graves on account of the wailing of their relatives, she pointed out that the Prophet had said that while the dead are punished in their graves for their sins, their relatives wept for them.
It was on account of her extensive knowledge of hadeeth and Islamic law that even the most important Companions sought her advice on legal problems. A long list of those who related hadeeth on her authority may be found in Ibn Hajar's book Tahtheeb at-Tahtheeb.
‘ABDULLAAH IBN AL-‘ABBAAS. He was born three years before the Prophet’s migration to Madeenah, and was thirteen years old at the time of his death. He was greatly loved by the Prophet, as is apparent from the hadeeths which concern him. He died in 68/687 at the age of 71.
It appears that despite his youth he learnt a few hadeeths from the Prophet (¢) himself. Ibn Hajar (quoting Yahyaa ibn al-Qattaan) refers to the assertion that Ibn ‘Abbaas related only four or ten traditions from the Prophet (¢), and adds that this estimate is incorrect, because the Saheehs of Bukhaaree and Muslim alone contain more than ten traditions related by him directly from the Prophet (¢). There is, however, no doubt that the number of hadeeths related by him directly from the Prophet (¢) is very small in comparison to what he related via other Companions. These hadeeths he learnt through years of hard labour: If I expected to learn any hadeeth from a Companion,' he remarked, I went to his door and waited there, until he came out and said: “Cousin of the Prophet, what brings you here? Why did you not send for me?” And I would reply that it was only proper that I should go to him. Then I learnt the hadeeth from him.
Ibn ‘Abbaas was held in universal awe for his intellectual powers and capacity for memorisation. He was entirely devoted to the study of the Qur'aan and the Sunnah, and was loved and respected for his scholarship by all the first four Caliphs and his contemporaries. He collected a large body of traditions, which he wrote down in books, and delivered lectures on them to his disciples. His tafseer of the Qur’aan which was handed down by his student Mujaahid is well-known, and has been referred to by numerous later commentators.
JAABIR IBN ‘ABDILLAAH. One of the early Madeenan converts to Islaam, he was present at the second meeting with the Prophet (¢) at Makkah. He took part in nineteen expeditions in the Prophet’s company, and died in Madeenah in about the year 74/693 at the age of 94.
He learnt the Prophet’s hadeeth not only from him, but also from many of his important Companions, including Aboo Bakr, ‘Umar and others. He also studied under some of the Successors, including the famous Umm Kulthoom, the daughter of Aboo Bakr. He used to teach hadeeth regularly in the mosque at Madeenah.71
ABOO SA‘EED AL-KHUDREE, Sa‘d ibn Maalik. Another early Madeenan convert, his father was killed at Uhud. He himself took part in twelve of the battles fought during the Prophet's lifetime. He died in Madeenah in 64/683.
Like Aboo Hurayrah, he had been one of the People of the Veranda', those who lived on the porch of the Prophet's dwelling by the mosque in order to dedicate themselves to an austere life of prayer and learning. He learnt the Sunnah from the Prophet, as well as from his important Companions such as Aboo Bakr, ‘Umar and Zayd ibn Thaabit. He was considered the best jurist among the younger Companions.
‘ABDULLAAH IBN ‘AMR IBN AL-‘AAS. An early convert to Islaam, who had suffered for its cause, had enjoyed the company of the Prophet for many years, and lived long enough after he was gone to transmit the hadeeths which he had learnt from him. Ibn ‘Amr, although he lived during the period of the civil war, resembled Ibn ‘Umar in keeping himself aloft from factional strife. He was, however, present at the Battle of Siffeen, at the insistence of his father; however he took no active part in it, deeply regretting in later life that he had been present at all.75
His interest in perpetuating the way of the Prophet (¢) was intense. He wrote down all the Traditions which he had learnt from him, collecting a thousand of them in a Saheefah which he called as-Saadiqah. When he settled at Mecca, students of hadeeth flocked to him in droves. But as he lived for the most part either in Egypt or at at-Taa’if, and since he occupied himself more with prayer than with the teaching of hadeeth, the later generations of Muslims received fewer traditions from him than from Aboo Hurayrah, ‘Aa’ishah and others.17
17 Hadith Literature, pp. 19-23.
Transmission
Tahammul al-‘Ilm
During the era of the dissemination of hadeeths and their compilation in the first three centuries a variety of methods of learning and teaching evolved. These methods were later categorized and technical terminology developed to describe them within the field of hadeeth science. The following eight methods were identified, the first two of which were the most common and accurate.
1. Samaa‘ : Reading by the Teacher
This method of transmission of hadeeths had four different formats:
a) Recitation from memory by the teacher. Wide use of this practice began to decline by the middle of the second century, though it persisted to a much lesser extent for a long time after that. Students remained with their teachers for long a time until they became authorities.
b) Reading from Books. This method could either involve the teacher reading from his own books, which was preferred, or the reading of the teacher from his student’s book, which was either a copy or a selection from his own work.
c) Questions and Answers. Students would read to their teacher a part of the hadeeths and he would complete the narration.
d) Dictation. The companion, Waathilah ibn Asqaa (d. 83) was the first to hold classes for dictation of hadeeths. It was not a favored method initially due to the ease with which students could gather knowledge. However, az-Zuhree departed from this attitude and followed this method throughout his life. Later on, some scholars refused to dictate if their students did not write the hadeeths down. Dictation was either from memory or from books. A fast writer was often chosen to record all the hadeeths, while others watched him write to catch his mistakes. Later they borrowed the books and made their own copies. These copies were revised among the students or with the teacher himself.
2. ‘Ard : Reading by the Students
In this method, the students would read the teacher’s book to him while other students compared the hadeeths with their own books or they listened attentively. From the beginning of the second century, this became the most popular method. Often the teachers would provide their own copies as many of them had their own scribes. Otherwise the students would read from copies made earlier from the original in which they would put a circle at the end of every hadeeth and when they read it back to the teacher they would put a mark in the circle to indicate each reading. Even if a student knew hadeeths through books, he was not entitled to transmit them our use them in his own collections until they had been read back to the teacher and approved. If he did otherwise, he was labeled a hadeeth thief (saariq al-hadeeth). This was equivalent to modern copyright laws which permit a person to buy as many copies of a book he or she wishes, but prohibits them from making even a single copy.
3. Ijaazah : Permission to Transmit
In hadeeth terminology this referred to a teacher giving permission to a student to transmit the teacher’s book on his authority without having read the book back to him. This method came in vogue from the third century onwards. It evolved as a means of protecting texts from alterations. Its validity was disputed by some scholars of hadeeth.
4. Munaawalah : Granting Books
This was the name given to the act of a teacher giving a student his book or one of his verified copies with the authority to transmit it. For example, az-Zuhree (d. 124) gave his manuscripts to several scholars, among them ath-Thawree, al-Awzaa‘ee and ‘Ubaydullaah ibn ‘Umar. This practice was extremely rare in the first century.
5. Kitaabah : Correspondence
If a teacher wrote hadeeths and sent them to a student to transmit, it was referred to as kitaabah which may be translated as learning by correspondence or distance learning, in modern times. This method was in vogue from the first century. The official letters of the Righteous Caliphs contained many hadeeths which were later transmitted by scholars. Many scholars among the companions wrote hadeeths and sent them to their students. Ibn ‘Abbaas was a notable example among them in his writings to Ibn Abee Mulaykah and Najdah.1
6. I‘laam : Announcement
This term referred to the act of a teacher or student informing others that he has permission to transmit a book on the author’s authority. However, before any student who heard hadeeths from the book could transmit them, he would have to obtain an original copy which bore the certificate of the signature of the author.
7. Wasiyyah : Bequest of Books
To entrust one’s books to a student at the time of death with the authority to transmit was called wasiyyah. An example of that can be found in the case of the Taabi‘ee Aboo Qilaabah ‘Abdullaah ibn Zayd al-Basree (d. 104) who entrusted his books to Ayyoob at the time of the former’s death.2
8. Wajaadah : Discovery of Books
If a student or teacher discovered the books of a scholar without permission to transmit on anyone’s authority, it was not recognized as a way of learning hadeeth. One who narrated from such books was obliged to indicate that it was taken from the scholar’s books.3
1 Studies in Early Hadith Literature, p. 41-2. 2 Studies in Early Hadith Literature, p. 63. 3 Tadreeb ar-Raawee, pp. 129-150.
Transmission Terminology
The hadeeth scholars utilized certain terms to indicate the sources and mode of their narrations. These Arabic terms have been commonly misunderstood by those unfamiliar to the field. The following are the most common terminologies and their abbreviations used.
(addathanaa H
)ﻧ(naa )or ﹶﺛ(thanaa )commonlywrittenas
This term was mostly used to indicate learning through the first method; the teacher reading.
i.
)ﹶﺃ(aranaa )andrarelyas ﹶﺃ(anaa )mostlywrittenas ﹶﺃ(Akhbaranaa
Some scholars used it as a synonym for haddathanaa and vice versa, but it was most commonly used to indicate the second method; the student reading to the teacher.
ii.
(anaa ’Anba iii.
)Usedstrictlyforthefirstmethodoflearning.
)Incasesof ﹶﺃ
ijaazah and munaawalah this term was used.
( )Wasusedtorefertoallthemethodsoflearning.Itwasconsidered (An‘
the most inferior method of narrating due its vagueness.4
Since the terms haddathanaa (he said to us) and akhbaranaa (he informed us) implied oral transmission it was generally believed that the hadeeths were transmitted orally for at least one hundred years. However, the records show that many companions of the Prophet (¢) wrote down hadeeths, so did their students and their students’ students. Furthermore, seven out of the eight learning methods mentioned previously (i.e. from 2-8) depended almost totally on written material. And even the first method involved dictation from written material in many cases. Thus, the literal meanings of the terms haddathanaa and akhbaranaa are not applicable as they were used to refer to transmission from written material in the vast majority of cases.
4 Studies in Hadith Methodology, pp. 16-22.
iv. Sami‘a
v.
Attendance in Hadeeth Circles
Regular records of attendance were kept. After a book was read, a note was written by the teacher or one of the famous scholars in attendance in which the names of those who heard the whole book, part of the book, the dates and places. If the student was under five he was classed as an attendee, while those over five were rated as students. The certificate usually had a stipulation called tibaaq that no further entries could be made in the book.
During the era of the Taabi‘oon, students usually memorized the whole Qur’aan and studied Islamic Law and Arabic grammar before joining the circles of the hadeeth scholars around the age of twenty. Az-Zuhree spoke of fifteen year old Ibn ‘Uyaynah as the youngest student he had seen and Ibn Hanbal began his hadeeth studies at the age of sixteen. However, in later periods, when texts were fixed and learning meant transmission of books, it was said that if a child could discriminate between a cow and a donkey he was old enough to start learning hadeeths. For example, ad-Dabaree transmitted ‘Abdur-Razzaaq’s book and when he died ad-Dabaree was only seven years old.5
With every generation the numbers of teachers and students grew exponentially. In the time of the Taabi ‘oon, scholars like ath-Thawree, Ibn al-Mubaarak and az-Zuhree made reference to hundreds of teachers. Az-Zuhree himself had over fifty students who recorded hadeeths in writing from him. The actual numbers who wrote and attended his lectures are unknown. The growing numbers of transmitters resulted in a tremendous growth in the number of books and the numbers of hadeeth narrations. It became a common practice among hadeeth scholars to count every isnaad as one hadeeth. Consequently, a single statement of the Prophet narrated by one hundred isnaads was referred to as one hundred hadeeths and a few thousand hadeeths became hundreds of thousands of hadeeths.6
5 Al-Kifaayah fee ‘Ilm al-Hadeeth, p. 64 quoted in Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature,
p. 23. 6 See Studies in Early Hadith Literature, pp. 302-5 for a detailed discussion of this point.
EVOLUTION OF THE SANAD
Teaching the Sunnah : The Era of the Prophet (¢)
Anything which the Prophet of Islaam (¢) said or did is considered to be a part of his Sunnah (i.e. way), which represents the practical application of Islaam according to divine guidance.
The Prophet (¢) used to encourage his Sahaabah7 to learn and memorize his Sunnah in many different ways. Sometimes he would sit them down and have them repeat after him certain Du‘aas8which he wanted them to memorize, the same way he would have them learn the Qur’aan. On other occasions he would repeat himself three times so that they could memorize his more significant statements. Sometimes he would give rites were to be performed, then he would tell them to do it as he had done it. At other times, he would have some of the Sahaabah record in writing some more complicated things.
The Era of the Sahaabah
After the death of the Prophet (¢), the older Sahaabah began to teach the younger Sahaabah the sayings and practices of the Prophet (¢) which they had not been around to hear or observe. Both the younger and the older Sahaabah used to teach those who had accepted Islaam during the last days of the Prophet’s life, and thus never had an opportunity to learn anything directly from the Prophet (¢).
When Islaam spread all over Arabia and into Syria, Iraq, Persia and Egypt during the reign of the Righteous Caliphs, the Sahaabah began to teach those who newly entered Islaam the principles of the religion. They would say to those who gathered around them, “I saw the Prophet do this,” or “I heard the Prophet say that.” This was how the chain of narration of the Sunnah began. Those new Muslims who studied under the Sahaabah were later referred to as the Taabi‘oon.
Most of the Taabi‘oon used to memorize and record the statements of the Prophet (¢) which the Sahaabah used to quote. They used to travel to different parts of the Muslim world of that time in order to learn as much of the Sunnah of the Prophet (¢) from as many of the Sahaabah as possible.
7 Anyone who saw Prophet Muhammad (¢) and died in a state of Islaam is called a Sahaabee (pl. Sahaabah), meaning a companion, even if he was a child. 8 Informal prayers.
Why All This Effort ?
It is natural that people try to watch and remembers the sayings and deeds of anyone who is dear to them, and there is no doubt that Prophet Muhammad (¢) was the most beloved person on earth to his followers. The Prophet (¢) himself
had enjoined this love on his community saying, “None of you has truly believed until I become more dear to him than this son, his father and all of mankind.”9
Allaah, in the Qur’aan, emphasized for the whole of the Muslim Ummah the extreme importance of the Sunnah of the Prophet (¢) by ordering them to obey all of his commands:
“Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, leave it.”
Soorah al-Hashr (59): 7
How could the Muslim Nation obey this divine command after the Prophet’s death ? How could they know what Allaah’s Messenger (¢) had commanded and forbidden if he was no longer with them? Therefore, great care had to be taken to preserve the Sunnah and convey it to each successive generations of Muslims. The Prophet (¢) also stressed the great importance of passing on the Sunnah without any alterations by promising them Allaah’s blessings saying, “Allaah blesses any man who hears a saying of mine, memorizes it and understands it, then conveys just as he heard it ; for perhaps one who is informed has more understanding than the one who heard it.”10 He also stressed it by warning them of the severe punishment awaiting anyone who lies on him saying “Whoever lies To read the rest of the book you need to download it from our free-ebooks www.islamicbulletin.comon me will find his seat in the Hellfire!”11
The Era of the Taabi‘oon