Understanding Prophetic Hadith
The term “Hadith” is defined linguistically as something new and also refers to speech. In Islamic terminology, it refers to whatever is attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) regarding his sayings, actions, approvals, or descriptions of his physical and moral attributes. Some scholars also include the sayings and actions of his companions and successors in this definition, which is recognized by the majority of hadith scholars. The documentation of hadith began during the Prophet’s lifetime, initiated by his companions, but this effort was limited and not widely practiced due to their strong memorization skills, sharp minds, and the scarcity of writing tools available to them.
Hadiths from the Authentic Collections
Numerous authentic hadiths have been reported from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Below are some notable examples found in the two authentic collections:
- The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Actions are judged by intentions, and each person will get what they intended. Hence, if someone’s migration is for worldly benefits or to marry a woman, then their migration is to what they migrated for.”
- The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) indicated: “All of my nation will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” It was asked: “O Messenger of Allah, who will refuse?” He replied: “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, while there is good in both. Strive for that which benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not become incapacitated. If something befalls you, do not say: ‘If only I had done this or that,’ rather say: ‘This is the decree of Allah, and what He wills, He does,’ for the phrase ‘if only’ opens the door to the Devil’s work.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) noted: “Faith has over sixty branches, and modesty is a branch of faith.”
- The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah is jealous, and the believer is jealous; Allah’s jealousy is for a believer to commit what He has made unlawful for him.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised: “Avoid the seven destructive sins.” They asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what are they?” He replied: “Associating partners with Allah, magic, unjustly killing a soul which Allah has forbidden (except in the right way), consuming usury, consuming the wealth of orphans, fleeing from battle, and slandering chaste, innocent believing women.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated: “Allah has ninety-nine names, a hundred minus one; whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked: “Regularly recite the Quran, for by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, it slips away faster than a camel from its halter.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned: “There is no envy except in two cases: a man whom Allah has granted the Quran, and he stands in prayer with it during the night and day, and a man whom Allah has given wealth, and he spends it during the night and day.”
- The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever memorizes ten verses from the beginning of Al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal (the Antichrist).”
Sacred Hadith
A sacred hadith refers to those narrated by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about Allah Almighty, attributing the meaning of the hadith to God. This type of narration is also known as a divine hadith. Numerous sacred hadiths have been conveyed through the Prophet regarding divine revelations. Here are some examples:
- Allah, the Almighty, has said: “The son of Adam injures Me by cursing time, while I am time. The authority is in My hand, and I alternate the night and the day.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) relayed: “Allah said: The son of Adam has lied about Me, and he does not have the capacity to do that. He reviles Me, and he does not have the capacity to do that. His denial of Me is that he says: ‘I shall not recreate him as I had begun the creation.’ His reviling Me is to say: ‘Allah has taken a child.’ I am the Self-Sufficient; I have not given birth, nor have I been born, and there is none comparable to Me.”
- On one occasion, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told his companions: “Did you not hear what your Lord said that night? He mentioned that none of His blessings were bestowed upon His servants without some of them becoming disbelievers, saying: ‘We received rain due to the constellation of such and such.’ However, those who believe in Me and praise Me for providing them water are the ones who have faith in Me and disbelieve in the star, and those who say ‘We received rain due to the constellation of such and such’ are the ones who have disbelieved in Me and believed in the star.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) narrated that someone said: “By Allah, Allah will not forgive so-and-so.” Allah, the Almighty, replied: “Who is it that takes an oath against Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? I have indeed forgiven so-and-so and nullified your deed, or as He said.”
References
- ↑ Taha Al-Saqqat (March 16, 2014), “The Meaning of Hadith: Linguistically and Technically and Related Concepts”, www.alukah.net, accessed February 25, 2019. Modified.
- ↑ “Short Hadiths (200 Hadith from the Authentic Collections)”, www.ar.islamway.net, May 24, 2014, accessed February 25, 2019.
- ↑ Reported by Al-Bukhari, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, from Umar ibn Al-Khattab, page/number: 1, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Al-Bukhari, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, from Anas ibn Malik, page/number: 15, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Al-Bukhari, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, from Abu Huraira, page/number: 7280, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Muslim, in Sahih Muslim, from Abu Huraira, page/number: 2664, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Muslim, in Sahih Muslim, from Abu Huraira, page/number: 9, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Muslim, in Sahih Muslim, from Abu Huraira, page/number: 2761, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Al-Bukhari, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, from Abu Huraira, page/number: 6857, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Al-Bukhari, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, from Abu Huraira, page/number: 7392, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Al-Bukhari, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, from Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari, page/number: 5033, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Muslim, in Sahih Muslim, from Abdullah ibn Umar, page/number: 815, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Muslim, in Sahih Muslim, from Abu Al-Darda, page/number: 809, Authentic.
- ↑ “Definition and Meaning of Sacred Hadith in the Comprehensive Dictionary of Meanings”, www.almaany.com, accessed February 25, 2019. Modified.
- ↑ Jamal Al-Shuqairi, Sacred Hadith, Jordan: Dar Al-Thaqafa, pages 31-51, Volume 1.
- ↑ Reported by Al-Bukhari, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, from Abu Huraira, page/number: 4826, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Al-Bukhari, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, from Abu Huraira, page/number: 4975, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Al-Albani, in Sahih Al-Nasa’i, from Zaid ibn Khalid Al-Juhani, page/number: 1524, Authentic.
- ↑ Reported by Muslim, in Sahih Muslim, from Jundub ibn Abdullah, page/number: 2621, Authentic.