A muhaddith () is a

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

specialized in the study, collection, and interpretation of hadiths, which are the recorded sayings, actions, and approvals of the

Prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...

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 ...

. The role of a muhaddith is central to the science of hadith (ʻilm al-ḥadīth), a key field for understanding and preserving Islamic teachings and

laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

. Muhaddith can either disseminate the hadiths or compile them into an

ahadith 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 ...

Definition and requirements

A muhaddith is a narrator of hadith, expert in the chains of narration ( isnad) and the content of hadith (

matn Matn () is an Islamic term that is used in relation to Hadith terminology. It means the text of the hadith, excluding the isnad. Use A hadith is made of both an isnad (chain of transmission) and a matn. A hadith would typically adopt the f ...

). They are responsible for verifying the authenticity of these narrations through rigorous methods, including the evaluation of the reliability of transmitters and the continuity of the chains of transmission.

Historical context

The tradition of collecting hadiths began soon after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Early efforts to compile these sayings into organized collections were undertaken by notable figures like Umar ibn al-Khattab and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. These efforts laid the groundwork for subsequent scholars, leading to the creation of the major hadith collections.

Famous collections and compilers

Some of the most renowned hadith collections include:

Sunni

* Al-Muwatta — by

Malik ibn Anas Malik ibn Anas (; –795) also known as Imam Malik was an Arab Islamic scholar and traditionalist who is the eponym of the Maliki school, one of the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence in Sunni Islam.Schacht, J., "Mālik b. Anas", in: ''E ...

(died 179 AH) * Musnad Ahmad — by

Ahmad ibn Hanbal Ahmad ibn Hanbal (; (164-241 AH; 780 – 855 CE) was an Arab Muslim scholar, jurist, theologian, traditionist, ascetic and eponym of the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence—one of the four major orthodox legal schools of Sunni Islam. T ...

(died 241 AH) *

Sahih al-Bukhari () is the first hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar al-Bukhari () in the format, the work is valued by Sunni Muslims, alongside , as the most authentic after the Qur'an. Al-Bukhari organized the bo ...

— by Imam Bukhari (died 256 AH) *

Sahih Muslim () is the second hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj () in the format, the work is valued by Sunnis, alongside , as the most important source for Islamic religion after the Q ...

— by Imam Muslim (died 261 AH) * Sunan Abu Dawood — by Abu Dawood (died 275 AH) *

Sunan al-Tirmidhi ''Sunan al-Tirmidhi'' () is the fourth hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. It was compiled by Islamic scholar al-Tirmidhi in (250–270 AH). Title The full title of the compilation is (). It is shortened to , , , or . The t ...

— by Imam Tirmidhi (died 279 AH) * Sunan an-Nasa'i — by Al Nasa'i (died 303 AH) * Sunan Ibn Majah — by Ibn Majah (died 273 AH)

Shia

* Kitab al-Kafi — by Al Kulayni (died 329 AH) * Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih — by Ibn Babawayh (died 380 AH) * Tahdhib al-Ahkam — by Shaykh Tusi (died 460 AH) * Al-Istibsar — by Shaykh Tusi These collections are highly regarded in Islamic scholarship and are used extensively in the derivation of Islamic law (Sharia) and theology.

Scholarly views

Prominent scholars have outlined the qualifications and duties of a muhaddith. For example,

Taj al-Din al-Subki Abū Naṣr Tāj al-Dīn ʻAbd al-Wahhāb ibn ʿAlī ibn ʻAbd al-Kāfī al-Subkī (), or Tāj al-Dīn al-Subkī () or simply Ibn al-Subki (1327–1370) was a leading Sunni Islamic scholar based in Egypt and Levant. He was a highly regarded jur ...

emphasized the extensive knowledge required in the chains of narration, the defects of hadith, and the biographies of narrators. Al Zarkashi highlighted the need for comprehensive knowledge in the science of hadith and memorization of a significant number of hadiths and their chains.

Importance in Islamic tradition

The role of muhaddithin is considered a

blessing In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with doctrines of grace, grace, Sacred, holiness, spiritual Redemption (theology), redemption, or Will of God, divine will. Etymology and Germani ...

for the

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

ummah ' (; ) is an Arabic word meaning Muslim identity, nation, religious community, or the concept of a Commonwealth of the Muslim Believers ( '). It is a synonym for ' (, lit. 'the Islamic nation'); it is commonly used to mean the collective com ...

(community), as they ensure the authenticity and preservation of the Prophet's teachings. This meticulous work allows Muslims to distinguish between genuine hadiths and those that are fabricated, maintaining the integrity of Islamic teachings.

References

{{Reflist Religious occupations Hadith Hadith scholars