hadith
Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
A hadith is made of both an isnad (chain of transmission) and a matn.
A hadith would typically adopt the following formula:
:''"It was related to me by A, on the authority of B, on the authority of C, on the authority of D, from E (here a companion of
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
) that the Prophet said: '... -and the matn would follow.
The matn would most often come in the form of an
injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a special court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. It was developed by the English courts of equity but its origins go back to Roman law and the equitable rem ...
,
proverb
A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...
,
aphorism
An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
, brief
dialogue
Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...
or anecdote whose sense might apply to a range of new contexts.
Shi'a use
The Shi'a science of hadith outright rejects ''any'' hadith that contradicts the Qur'an. This is due to what they perceive as instructions from the Prophet Muhammad, the Shi'a Imam, and from the Qur'an itself, which says:
:We have revealed the Book to you explaining clearly everything, and a guidance and mercy and good news for those who submit. (16:89)