What Is Hadith? A Simple Guide to Hadith, Sunnah and the Major Collections

If you read anything about Islam, you will quickly meet references like "(Sahih al-Bukhari)" or "(reported by At-Tirmidhi)". These point to hadith, the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Hadith are the second source of Islamic guidance after the Quran, and understanding what they are, and how they were preserved, helps every Muslim read and share them with confidence.

What is a hadith?

A hadith (plural: aḥādīth) is a report of something the Prophet ﷺ said, did or approved of. "Approved" means that something was done in front of him and he allowed it without objecting. Some hadith also describe his appearance and character.

Hadith and Sunnah: what is the difference?

The two words are closely related and often used together:

• The Sunnah is the Prophet's way: his teachings, practice and example as a whole.
• A hadith is an individual report through which we know part of that Sunnah.

So the Sunnah is what we follow, and hadith are how it reached us.

Why hadith matter

The Quran tells Muslims to pray, give zakat and perform Hajj, but it does not describe every detail of how. The Prophet ﷺ showed this through his example, saying: "Pray as you have seen me praying" (Sahih al-Bukhari). The Quran itself commands: "Whatever the Messenger has given you, take it; and what he has forbidden you, refrain from it" (59:7). Without hadith, much of daily worship could not be practised.

The parts of a hadith

Every hadith has two parts:

1. Isnad (chain of narrators): the list of people who passed the report on, one to the next, back to the Prophet ﷺ. For example: "A told us that B told him that C heard the Prophet say…"
2. Matn (text): the actual words or description of what the Prophet ﷺ said or did.

Early Muslim scholars developed an entire science to examine both: who each narrator was, whether they were trustworthy, whether their memory was reliable and whether they actually met the person they narrated from.

How hadith are graded

Based on that study, hadith are given grades. The main ones are:

• Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy narrators with strong memory, free from hidden flaws.
• Hasan (good): also accepted and acted upon, though one narrator's memory may be slightly less precise.
• Da'if (weak): a problem in the chain or a narrator. Scholars do not use weak hadith to establish beliefs or rulings.
• Mawdu' (fabricated): invented and falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It must not be shared as his words.

The major hadith collections

In the centuries after the Prophet ﷺ, scholars travelled widely to collect, check and record hadith. Six collections became especially widely used, often called Al-Kutub as-Sittah (the Six Books):

1. Sahih al-Bukhari by Imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
2. Sahih Muslim by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
3. Sunan Abu Dawud
4. Jami' at-Tirmidhi
5. Sunan an-Nasa'i
6. Sunan Ibn Majah

Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are regarded by scholars as the most authentic books after the Quran, because their authors accepted only reports meeting very strict conditions. Other important works include the Muwatta of Imam Malik and the Musnad of Imam Ahmad.

What is a Hadith Qudsi?

A Hadith Qudsi ("sacred hadith") is one in which the Prophet ﷺ conveys words from Allah, for example: "Allah says: I am as My servant thinks of Me…" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). Unlike the Quran, its wording is not recited in prayer, and it does not have the Quran's status. Our article on Surah Al-Fatihah includes a well-known Hadith Qudsi about the prayer.

Sharing hadith responsibly

The Prophet ﷺ warned against attributing to him things he did not say (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). Many "hadith" shared on social media have no source or are known to be weak or fabricated. Before sharing:

• Look for the reference. A genuine hadith can be traced to a named collection.
• Check the grading, especially for collections beyond Bukhari and Muslim.
• Ask a qualified teacher when unsure, and avoid explaining hadith beyond your knowledge.

Where to start reading hadith

A popular starting point is Imam an-Nawawi's Forty Hadith, a short collection of about forty core hadith that summarise many foundations of Islam. Reading it with a teacher or a reliable explanation is the best way to understand it properly. Families can also start with hadith about everyday life, such as those in our guide to Sunnahs of the Prophet ﷺ for children.

Learn hadith with a teacher

Selected hadith with clear explanations are part of our Islamic Studies course, for children and adults. Students who want to understand hadith in the original language can build their skills in our Arabic Language course.