General
UNIT 4 Hadith in Islamic faith
Key unit competence: The learner will be able to respect the Qur’an and imitate Muhammad and his disciples’ virtues.
Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
Knowledge and understanding
- Memorise 10 Hadiths from the Annawiy Book Entitled “The Forty Hadith”
- List some Hadiths that testify the source of Islamic Faith.
- Identify the disciples of Muhammad who authentically transmitted Hadiths.
- Outline some Hadiths and their precepts.
Skills
- Explain the importance of Hadiths in Islamic worship.
- Describe the role of Muhammad’s disciple in keeping the originality of Hadith.
- Distinguish hadith from the Qur’an.
- Apply 10 Hadiths that increase good relationship among people selected from the Annawiy Book Entitled “The Forty Hadith”
Attitudes and values
- Refer to the Hadiths in order to discern and to take decision in worshiping.
- Be honest in the society and strive for being believable.
Introductory activity
Look at the pictures below and answer the following questions:
1. What religious faith do you think this woman belongs to?
2. What is she doing?
3. Why do you think she is doing this?
4. Have you helped anyone in your community recently?
By studying the Hadiths we learn how to live our lives following the example of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
4.1 What is Hadiths
The second most important source of authority for Muslims, after the Qur’an, is the Sunnah.
The Sunnah are the practices, customs and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
that are considered to be a perfect example of how He lived. They are found in the Hadith and other texts.
The Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) followers memorised his teachings while he was alive.
These were later written down and collections were made of them. These collections are known as Hadith.
Different groups of Muslims accept different collections of Hadith as reliable sources of authority.
When reading the Hadith, Muslims can learn more about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
and the way to interpret the words of Allah in the Qur’an.
The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) sayings and stories were based on revelations from Allah.
The Hadiths are important for the following reasons:
- They reveal Allah’s messages.
- They explain the meaning of Allah’s messages.
- They give laws to live by.
- They teach moral ideals.
- They preserve Islam.
Activity
1. Discuss the reasons why studying the Hadiths might help you.
2. Talk about the difference between a custom and a practice.
3. Make a list of some customs in your community.
4.2 The genuineness of the Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) sayings and stories were passed down from one person to another.
Each Hadith is made up of two parts: the story that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told and the list of
narrators who have repeated it. This is because it is important to be sure that they have been passed down accurately.
Within the first two centuries after the prophet’s (peace be upon him) death, scholars studied the stories,
tracing the origins of each quotation and the chain of narrators through whom the quotation was passed.
4Scholars tested the Hadith to be sure they were the genuine sayings of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
This was done to make sure that they were accurate recordings of what the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) had said. For the sayings to be accurate the chain needed to be unbroken.
When messages and stories are passed from one person to the next it is easy for them to be changed.
Tracing the chain of narrators proves the honesty of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) disciples.
The Hadiths are divided into categories according to how clearly they can be traced to the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him). Different branches of Islam study different collections of Hadiths.
Scholars of Hadiths such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Bukhari and Muslim, made their collections very carefully.
Hadiths were only included in their collections if they had been reported by four or more reporters.
Activity
Play the game of broken telephone.
1. Sit in a circle and choose a person to start the game.
2. That person thinks of a message and whispers it to the person next to him/her.
3. The message is passed all around the circle in a whisper until it gets back to the person who started it.
Has the message changed? You can play this game several times.
Exercise
1. What is a Hadith?
2. How are they tested for accuracy?
3. What is the second most important piece of literature in Islam?
4. Why do Muslims want to know about the actions and
sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
4.3 An-Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths
Yahia bin Sharaful-Deen An-Nawawi was an Islamic scholar. He was born in the village of Nawa near Damascus in 1233.
He grew up in Nawa and at the age of 19 went to study in Damascus, which was considered the centre of
learning and scholarship.
Iman An-Nawawi gathered 42 of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) together into a small book.
This book is now known as ‘An-Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths’. The collection is important because it teaches
the most important beliefs and ethics of Islam.
Studying these Hadiths helps Muslims to:
- evaluate and judge their actions
- evaluate and judge their motives for their actions
- evaluate and judge their dealings with other people.
Here are ten of forty Hadiths of An-Nawawi
1. Actions are based on intention
Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended.
2. The declaration of faith
Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no god but
Allah and that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah, performing the prayers,
paying the Zakah, making the pilgrimage to Mecca, and fasting in Ramadan.
3. Stay away from what is prohibited
What I have forbidden for you, avoid. What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can.
4. Love for your neighbour what you love for yourself
None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.
5. Do not be angry A man said to the Prophet, peace be upon him, “Give me advice.”
The Prophet, (peace be upon him), said, “Do not get angry.”
6. Follow up a bad deed with a good deed. Be conscious of Allah wherever you are.
Follow the bad deed with a good one to erase it, and engage others with beautiful character.
7. Do not neglect religious obligations Verily Allah the Almighty has laid down religious obligations (fara’id),
so do not neglect them.
8. Righteousness is about having a good character Righteousness is in good character, and wrongdoing is that
which wavers in your soul, and which you dislike people finding out about.
9. Entering paradise A man questioned the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said:
“Do you think that if I perform the obligatory prayers, fast in Ramadan, treat as lawful that which is halal,
and treat as forbidden that which is haram, and do not increase upon that [in voluntary good deeds],
then I shall enter Paradise?” He (peace be upon him) replied, “Yes.”
10. Be steadfast in your belief I said, “O Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam which I can ask of no one but you.”
He (peace be upon him) said, “Say ‘I believe in Allah’ — and then be steadfast.”
Activity
1. Make a poster showing the ten Hadiths of An-Nawawi listed here.
You need to use only the heading at the top of each one.
2. Discuss how the ten Hadiths of An-Nawawi help good relationships between people.
Homework
Learn the ten Hadiths by heart.
End unit Assessment
1. Write down the meaning’s of ten of An-Nawawi’s forty Hadiths.
2. Explain how scholars make sure that the Hadiths are truly
sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
3. Discuss how learning the Hadiths can help a Muslim to practise his/her faith.
4. What is the most important book in Islam?
5. What is the second most important book in Islam?