The Science of Hadith

[Friend]

In order to know how Muslims deal with Hadith of Mohameed (puh) ,you must know what Muslims mean by The science of Hadith in Islam ,It is very important and clear science ,in it Muslims follow certain Methodology to recognize the degree of accuracy of the Hadith , if you want to understand it you must know about The Classification of Hadith - According to the reliability and memory of the reporters Under this classification falls the final verdict on a hadith, being one of the following: sahih, hasan, da'if or maudu'.

Among the early traditionists, mostly of the first two centuries, ahadith were classified into two categories only: sahih and da'if; al-Tirmidhi was to be the first to distinguish hasan from da'if. This is why traditionists and jurists such as Ahmad, who seemed to argue on the basis of da'if ahadith sometimes, were in fact basing their argument on the ahadith which were later to be known as hasan.
We now examine in more detail these four important classes of ahadith.

Saheeh (sound)
Hasan (agreeable)
Da'eef (weak)
Maudoo' (fabricated)

Saheeh (sound)
Al-Shafi'i states the following requirement in order for a hadith which is not "mutawatir”

( the Hadith which was transferred from one person to another until reach the original resource which was the saying of prophet Mohameed (PUH) )to be acceptable:

"Each reporter should be trustworthy in his religion; he should be known to be truthful in his narrating, to understand what he narrates, to know how a different expression can alter the meaning, and report the wording of the hadith verbatim, not only its meaning. This is because if he does not know how a different expression can change the whole meaning, he will not know if he has changed what is lawful into what is prohibited. Hence, if he reports the hadith according to its wording, no change of meaning is found at all. Moreover, he should be a good memoriser if he happens to report from his memory, or a good preserver of his book if he happens to report from it. He should agree with the narrations of the huffaz, if he reports something which they also do. He should not be narrate from someone he met something he did not hear, nor should he report from the Prophet contrary to what reliable sources have reported from him. In addition, the one who is above him (in the isnad) should be of the same quality until the hadith goes back uninterrupted to the Prophet or any authority below him."


Ibn al-Salah, however, defines a sahih hadith more precisely by saying:

"A sahih hadith is the one which has a continuous isnad, made up of reporters of trustworthy preservers from similar authorities, and which is found to be clear from any defects."

By the above definition, no room is left for any weak hadith.

Of all the collectors of hadith, al-Bukhari and Muslim were greatly admired because of their tireless attempt to collect sahih hadith only. It is generally understood that the more trustworthy and of good memory the reporters, the more authentic the hadith. The isnad: al-Shafi'i --- Malik --- Nafi' --- 'Abdullah b. 'Umar --- The Prophet, is called a "golden isnad" because of its renowned reporters.

Hasan (agreeable)
Al-Tirmidhi means by hadith hasan, a hadith which is not shadhdh, which does not contain a disparaged reporter in its isnad, and which is reported through more than one route of narration.
Al-Khattabi (d. 388) states a very concise definition,

"It is the one where its source is known and its reporters are prominent."


By this he means that the hadith should not be of an ambiguous nature like the mursal or munqati' hadith, or one containing a mudallis.

Ibn al-Salah classifies hasan into two categories:
(i) one with an isnad containing a reporter who is mastur (i.e., no prominent person reported from him) but is not totally careless in his reporting, provided that a similar text is reported through another isnad as well;

(ii) one with an isnad containing a reporter who is known to be truthful and reliable, but is a degree less in his preservation of hadith in comparison to the reporters of sahih ahadith.

In both categories, Ibn al-Salah requires that the hadith be free of any shudhudh.

Al-Dhahabi, after giving the various definitions, says, "A hasan hadith is one which excels the da'if but nevertheless does not reach the standard of a sahih hadith."

Reporters such as al-Harith b. 'Abdullah, 'Asim b. Damura, Hajjaj b. Artat, Khusaif b. 'Abd al-Rahman and Darraj Abu al-Samh attract different verdicts: some traditionists declare their ahadith hasan, others declare them da'if.

According to the definition of al-Tirmidhi and Ibn al-Salah, a number of weak ahadith on a particular issue can be raised to the degree of hasan if the weakness found in their reporters is of a mild nature. However, in case the weakness is severe, (i.e., the reporter is a liar or the hadith is itself shadhdh), such weak ahadith will not support each other and will remain weak. For example, the famous hadith,

"He who preserves forty hadiths for my Ummah will be raised by Allah on the Day of Resurrection among the Fuqaha' ", has been declared to be da'if by most of the traditionists, although it is reported through various routes.


Da'eef (weak)
A hadith which fails to reach the status of hasan is da'if. Usually, the weakness is one of discontinuity in the isnad, in which case the hadith could be mursal, mu'allaq, mudallas, munqati' or mu'dal, according to the precise nature of the discontinuity, or one of a reporter having a disparaged character, such as due to his telling lies, excessive mistakes, opposition to the narration of more reliable sources, involvement in innovation, and ambiguity surrounding his own person.
The smaller the number and importance of defects, the less severe the weakness. The more the defects in number and severity, the closer the hadith will be to being fabricated.

Some ahadith, according to the variation in the nature of the weakness associated with its reporters, rank at the bottom of the hasan grade or the top of the da'if grade. Reporters such as 'Abdullah b. Lahi'a, 'Abd al-Rahman b. Zaid b. Aslam, Abu Bakr b. Abi Maryam al-Himsi, Faraj b. Fadala, Rishdin b. Sa'd and the like, attract such types of varying ranks as they are neither extremely good preservers nor totally abandoned.


Maudoo' (fabricated)
Al-Dhahabi defines it as a hadith, the text of which goes against the established norms or its reporters include a liar, e.g. the forty ahadith known as Wad'aniyya or the copy of 'Ali al-Rida which was fabricated against him.
A number of traditionists have collected fabricated ahadith separately in order to distinguish them from other ahadith; among them are Ibn al-Jauzi in al-Maudu'at, al-Janzaqani in Kitab al-Abatil, and al-Suyuti in al-La'ali al-Masnu'a fi al-Ahadith al-Maudu'a.

Some of these ahadith were known to be spurious by the confession of their inventors. For example, Muhammad b. Sa'id al-Maslub used to say, "It is not wrong to fabricate an isnad for a sound statement." Another notorious inventor, 'Abd al-Karim Abu al-Auja, who was killed and crucified by Muhammad b. Sulaiman b. 'Ali, governor of Basra, admitted that he had fabricated four thousand ahadith declaring lawful the prohibited and vice-versa.

Maudu' ahadith are also recognised by external evidence related to a discrepancy found in the dates or times of a particular incident.


Ibn Maja, has given more examples of fabricated ahadith under the following eight categories of causes of fabrication:
political differences;
factions based on issues of creed;
fabrications by zanadiqa;
fabrications by story-tellers;
fabrications by ignorant ascetics;
prejudice in favour of town, race or a particular imam;
inventions for personal motives;
proverbs turned into ahadith.

[thipps]

Assalam-o-Alaikum,
If anyone is interested in reading about this in a bit more detail, they can read the following book online entitled "An Introduction to the Science of Hadith" by Suhaib Hassan from any of the following links.
http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/h..._ish/index.htm
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamen...dith/atit.html
The same book is available for download in pdf format on this webpage:
http://www.descubraislam.com/E-books/SunnaHadith/
Hope this helps.

[bananabrain]

thipps and friend,

this is absolutely fascinating - i'm very interested in this process; ours is less formal, partly because it stretches over more people and more time. would you be able to start a thread somewhere else on the four legal schools (cairo, baghdad, etc) and the major differences between them? i'm particularly interested in how, for example, one school would say that prawns are permissible food and another disagrees. is there a way of resolving differences of opinion, or do does one follow the school that one's religious authority adheres to?

b'shalom

bananabrain

[thipps]

Originally Posted by bananabrain

thipps and friend,

this is absolutely fascinating - i'm very interested in this process; ours is less formal, partly because it stretches over more people and more time. would you be able to start a thread somewhere else on the four legal schools (cairo, baghdad, etc) and the major differences between them? i'm particularly interested in how, for example, one school would say that prawns are permissible food and another disagrees. is there a way of resolving differences of opinion, or do does one follow the school that one's religious authority adheres to?

b'shalom

bananabrain

Assalam-o-Alaikum,
There is a thread on the four schools of thought and sects entitled 'Islamic sects and schools of thought '. It is not a matter of major differences.. this type of thing comes into play when it comes to sects, which is different from what is a school of thought. And, yes, your example question about the prawns is for the schools of thought to answer.
I was hoping that Seekeraftertruth would write something detailed on this as he said in one place that he had extensive knowledge in this area (which most people do not) but i guess he hasnt had time. Hopefully, he will answer your current questions there or here. Lets wait as he is more knowledgable in this area.
Peace.

[Faithfulservant]

Are these other scientific discoveries in Hadith or the Koran?

Drinking camel's urine will make you healthy.
"The prophet ordered them to follow his camels, and drink their milk and urine , so they followed the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy." Vol. 7:590

A fly in your drink is a cure.
Mohammed said, "If a housefly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease. " Vol. 4:537


How the baby's looks are determined.
Mohammed said, "As for the child, if the man's discharge precedes the woman's discharge, the child attracts the similarity of the man, and if the woman's discharge precedes the man's, then the child attracts the similarity of the woman." Vol. 5:275

Effect of evil eye
Mohammed said, "The effect of an evil eye is a fact. " Vol. 7:636

God frightens his devotees with eclips.
Mohammed said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah and they do not eclipse because of the death of someone but Allah frightens His devotees with them. " Vol. 2:158

Satan urinates in people's ears, when they don't wake up for prayer.
Narrated Abdullah: the prophet was told that a person had kept on sleeping till morning and had not got up for the prayer. The prophet said, "Satan urinated in his ears." Vol. 2:245

Yawning is from Satan.
The prophet said, "Yawning is from Satan and if anyone of you yawns, he should check his yawning as much as possible, for if anyone of yuo (during the act of yawning) should say: "Ha", Satan will laugh at him." Vol. 2:158

Stars are missiles which God uses to hit the devils.
The creation of stars is for three purposes, i.e., as decoration of the sky, as missiles to hit the devils, and as signs to guide travelers. Vol. 2:158 Shooting stars are for driving away evil spirits: "And we have, (from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with Lamps, and We have made such (Lamps) (as) missiles to drive away the Evil Ones, and have prepared for them the Penalty of the Blazing Fire," (Quran 67:5).

That is not what shooting stars are for. They aren't "for" anything. They are small objects in space burning up in our atmosphere.

Sperm comes from the chest of a man: "Now let man but think from what he is created! He is created from a drop emitted-Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs," (Quran 86:5-7).

The sun set in murky water: "Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness," (Quran 18:86).

Birds can talk: "And Solomon was David's heir. He said: "O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah.)" (Quran 27:16).

And Solomon was David's heir. And he said: O mankind! Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have been given (abundance) of all things. This surely is evident favour," (Quran 27:16, Pickthall, trans.).

Ants can talk: "At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, one of the ants said: "O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it," (Quran 27:18).

"Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you, unperceiving," (Quran 27:18, Pickthal, trans.).

Adam was made 90 feet tall. Allah made Adam 60 cubits high (generally a cubit was 18 inches. Therefore, Adam was 90 feet tall) The Prophet said, "Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall. (Hadith, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 543, Narrated Abu Huraira.)

[bananabrain]

faithfulservant - none of these examples look to me like they purport to be "scientific"; rather, that you're trying to ridicule the text. i've had a complaint and i'll be bringing this to the attention of the moderators. please watch your language in future.

b'shalom

bananabrain

[Faithfulservant]

Sorry.. it wasnt my intention to offend or ridicule.. I know what it feels like to have my holy book ridiculed by others and would not purposefully do that to someone else. My apologies to the people of this forum for any breach of etiquette.

[Friend]

Salaam for all

Drinking camel's urine will make you healthy.

"The prophet ordered them to follow his camels, and drink their milk and urine , so they followed the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy." Vol. 7:590

you must know that Muslims must be always disinfect from any dirt things specially urine, but when this animal eat ( medical plants in desert )may people can use it as medicine .for more information see these sites

http://bismikaallahuma.org/Hadith/Exegesis/urayna.htm#4

http://camell.atlas.co.uk/aamilk.html

A fly in your drink is a cure.

Mohammed said, "If a housefly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease. " Vol. 4:537

I read that the science proved this , our greatest God can create anything.remember that they can made Medicine from the poison of the snake .for more information see this site:

http://www.answering-christianity.com/hadiths_of_the_fly.htm

Effect of evil eye

Mohammed said, "The effect of an evil eye is a fact. " Vol. 7:636

It is not new information or new idea come from prophet Mohammed (puh) people observe this from long time and it is also written in Al Quraan.

http://www.luckymojo.com/evileye.html

http://www.islam-online.net/fatwaapplication/english/display.asp?hFatwaID=32624

If I have time I will reply to the remaining, I see that you ask also about Quraan verses while this thread about the science of Hadith , Are you really want answer ???

[bananabrain]

folk remedies are one thing, but i think "proving" "scientifically" that adam was 90 ft tall would be a bit of a tall order. we have a similar tradition, but it's not supposed to be "scientific". reading sacred texts literally is likely to give you nothing but a headache; i don't expect snakes to talk, regardless of what is written in genesis.

b'shalom

bananabrain

[Faithfulservant]

Originally Posted by Friend

Salaam for all

you must know that Muslims must be always disinfect from any dirt things specially urine, but when this animal eat ( medical plants in desert )may people can use it as medicine .for more information see these sites

http://bismikaallahuma.org/Hadith/Exegesis/urayna.htm#4

http://camell.atlas.co.uk/aamilk.html

I read that the science proved this , our greatest God can create anything.remember that they can made Medicine from the poison of the snake .for more information see this site:

http://www.answering-christianity.com/hadiths_of_the_fly.htm

It is not new information or new idea come from prophet Mohammed (puh) people observe this from long time and it is also written in Al Quraan.

http://www.luckymojo.com/evileye.html

http://www.islam-online.net/fatwaapplication/english/display.asp?hFatwaID=32624

If I have time I will reply to the remaining, I see that you ask also about Quraan verses while this thread about the science of Hadith , Are you really want answer ???

Ok this makes sense to me because Urine can be used as a cleansing agent.. There are many instances of this. It is also used as a source of bleaching for animal hides. Urine kills bacteria.

And I know that homeopathy is like the fly.. you give small doses to someone to give them an immunity or resitance to whatever disease that the thing has.

Yes of course I want answers to the remaining ones. I really wasnt trying to ridicule your holy book

[thipps]

h| Faithfulservant,
maybe you have misunderstood the topic. This is about the science of Hadith. Not about science or scientific statements in the Quran and hadith. The Science of Hadith deals with how Hadith are authenticated and what are thier classifications. This is away from the topic especially since you have Quranic statements in your post as well. There is a thread 'Scientific Miracles and Discoveries in the Noble Quran ' where I think it would have been more appropriate... atleast the Quranic statements. Still, again, since you have asked, it is our duty to answer. It will take time to answer all of them as these must be dealt with properly. 'Friend' has done good and i will try to contribute as much as time permits me. I'll deal with a few of the ones that are left.

Adam was made 90 feet tall. Allah made Adam 60 cubits high (generally a cubit was 18 inches. Therefore, Adam was 90 feet tall) The Prophet said, "Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall. (Hadith, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 543, Narrated Abu Huraira.)

Yes, i affirm that this hadith is authentic. You as a christian do not have a problem beleiving that we all came from Adam and Eve (Peace be upon them) without established scientific proof (like we do), so i dont see why the sudden amazement at the 90 feet part. I will also say that science has not advanced enough yet because there is no established scientific proof that either confirms or denies this statement made in the above hadith. Yes, i have been told there are people out there trying to prove that we all came from Adam and Eve (Peace be upon them)... lets wait and see what they come up with.

Sperm comes from the chest of a man: "Now let man but think from what he is created! He is created from a drop emitted-Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs," (Quran 86:5-7).

This has been proved by people who are experts in the field of embroyolgy. Muslims took all the data given in the Holy Qur'an dealing with ‘Embryology’, and presented it to Professor Keith Moore. Professor Keith Moore is the head and chairman of the department of Anatomy, in the University of Toronto in Canada, and is one of the leading authorities in the world in the field of Embryology. When Professor Keith Moore went through the translation of the various Verses of the Qur'an, dealing with Embryology, he said, that most of the things which the Qur'an speaks about Embryology is matching with the latest discoveries made in the field of Embryology. There was stuff in the Quran that even he didnt know about and after reading the verses he checked using a powerful microscope and confirmed that the Quran was right.And Professor Keith Moore, he had written a book - 'The Developing Human'… and in his new edition, the 3rd edition, he incorporated the new things which he found from the Qur'an and the Hadith - for which he got an award for the best medical book written in that year by any single author.

Today we have come to know, the genital organs - the testes, in the males, and the ovaries in the female, in the Embryonic stage - they develop from a space, where the kidney is present today, between the backbone and the 11th and 12th rib. Later on, the testes they descend to the inguinal canal, into the scrotum - and the ovaries in the female to the true pelvis. But in the Embryonic stage, It is in the space which the Qur'an speaks about. Even in the adult life after the Genital organs descend - yet they receive the blood supply - the nerve supply and the lymphatic drainage from the same space between the spinal column and the 11th and 12th rib.

Ants can talk: "At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, one of the ants said: "O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it," (Quran 27:18).

No one is saying that they were speaking english or arabic.

Today we have come to know, that any animal or any insect which has the closest resemblance to that of the human being… it is the ant. The ants bury the dead the same way as the human beings do. They have a sophisticated method and division of labour, where they have manager, supervisor, workers, etc. They very often meet to chat. They have a sophisticated method of communication. They have market places where they exchange goods. And when they store the grain in winter, and if the grain begins to bud, the ants cut the bud as though they knew that budding will cause rotting of the grain. And in Monsoon, if the grain gets wet, they bring it out in the sunlight to dry. You might have seen the ants carrying grain in the sunlight to dry as though they knew that humidity will cause the development of root system, which will cause rotting of the grain. So Qur'an speaks about the advanced nature of the ants, 1400 years ago.

Hope that helps.

And Allah knows best.

[Faithfulservant]

Thank you thipps.. that helps me understand so much that you cannot believe.

[thipps]

h| Faithfulservant,
got some more for you

Originally Posted by Faithfulservant

Stars are missiles which God uses to hit the devils.
The creation of stars is for three purposes, i.e., as decoration of the sky, as missiles to hit the devils, and as signs to guide travelers. Vol. 2:158 Shooting stars are for driving away evil spirits: "And we have, (from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with Lamps, and We have made such (Lamps) (as) missiles to drive away the Evil Ones, and have prepared for them the Penalty of the Blazing Fire," (Quran 67:5).

That is not what shooting stars are for. They aren't "for" anything. They are small objects in space burning up in our atmosphere.

http://www.answering-christianity.org/quran/4701.htm

The sun set in murky water: "Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness," (Quran 18:86).

http://www.answering-christianity.org/quran/qe003.html

Birds can talk: "And Solomon was David's heir. He said: "O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah.)" (Quran 27:16).

And Solomon was David's heir. And he said: O mankind! Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have been given (abundance) of all things. This surely is evident favour," (Quran 27:16, Pickthall, trans.).

There seems to be a misunderstanding here. The text is simply saying that the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) could understand the speech of birds. It was one of his miracles and you can see Prophet Solomon (pbuh) thanking God in the later half of the same verse. Simple.

Just an extra tit bit: To my knowledge, there is no mention of this miracle of his in the Bible but I was told that this is mentioned in the traditions of the children of Israel. So, I searched the Jewish Encyclopedia and I found it written there and it also mentioned the ants about which you quoted previously. See the following link:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=894&letter=S
Under the heading ‘Solomon and Pharaoh’ it says: He is said to have understood the languages of the beasts and the birds…
Under the heading ‘Solomon's Carpet’ it says: With reference to Solomon's dominion over all the creatures of the world, including spirits, several stories are current, the best known of which is that of Solomon and the ant…

A small note for all of you: Im a bit behind on my stuff and I might be having a job interview next week, so i might not be around as much for the next few days.
Hope this helps.

And Allah knows best.

[thipps]

Originally Posted by Faithfulservant

Yawning is from Satan.
The prophet said, "Yawning is from Satan and if anyone of you yawns, he should check his yawning as much as possible, for if anyone of yuo (during the act of yawning) should say: "Ha", Satan will laugh at him." Vol. 2:158

h| Faithfulservant,
Concerning the meaning of that, it was said that the Satan likes to see a person yawning because it makes him look different and so he laughs at him. It does not mean that the Satan is the one who makes him yawn. And it was said that yawning is attributed to the Satan because yawning comes from fullness of the stomach, which generates laziness, which happens under the influence of the Satan. Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Yawning is attributed to the Satan because it promotes whims and desires, because it stems from heaviness of the body, excessive relaxation and fullness of the stomach. So what is meant is a warning against the thing that leads to that, which is eating too much.
Al-Manaawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It is attributed to him because he is the one who calls for giving the self its share of desires. What is meant here is to warn against the things that lead to that, which is eating too much and eating one's fill, which makes the body feel too heavy and tired to do acts of worship.
And Allah knows best.

[thipps]

Originally Posted by Faithfulservant

Satan urinates in people's ears, when they don't wake up for prayer.
Narrated Abdullah: the prophet was told that a person had kept on sleeping till morning and had not got up for the prayer. The prophet said, "Satan urinated in his ears." Vol. 2:245

h| Faithfulservant,
The above hadith is also written in Sahih Muslim (#1700).
Imam Nawawi commmented as follows on this:
This Hadith holds inducement for Qiyam-ul-Lail [the night prayer] and highlights its merits. It also urges one to perpetuate his good actions, follow the practice of the righteous and avoid the way of those who are negligent or become negligent in the performance of virtuous deeds. Urination of Satan in a person's ear or ears can be literally true (although we cannot perceive it) because if a person does not seek the protection of Allah against Satan, then Satan joins him in food and other activities, as is evident from other Ahadith. Therefore, urination of Satan is also possible. Some people think it is a metaphor to the effect that he who does not get up at night for prayer and goes on enjoying his sleep, Satan 'closes' his ears until he does not hear the remembrance of Allah. Some others consider it a metaphor for the contempt and insult of Satan. In either case, we learn from this Hadith that missing the Qiyam-ul-Lail is disliked because it provides Satan an opportunity to create mischief, and he succeeds in creating obstructions in the worship and obedience of Allah. [#1164,Ch. 212, Book 8,Riyadh-us-Saliheen]
And Allah knows best.