In Islam, the Arabic word Sunnah has come to denote the way Prophet Muhammad (saws) lived his life. The Sunnah is the second source of Islamic jurisprudence, the first being the Qur’ân. But Both sources are indispensable; one cannot practice Islam without consulting both of them. The Arabic word Ahaadeeth is very similar to Sunnah, but not identical. A Ahaadeeth is a narration from the life of the Prophet (saws) and what he approved – as opposed to his life itself, which is the Sunnah as already mentioned. According to Muhadditheen [scholars of Ahaadeeth -ed.] it stands for ‘what was transmitted on the authority of the Prophet, his deeds, sayings, tacit approval, or description of his Sifaat (features) meaning his physical appearance. However, physical appearance of the Prophet is not included in the definition used by the jurists.’
Thus Ahaadeeth literature means the literature which consists of the narrations of the life of the Prophet and the things approved by him. However, the term was used sometimes in much broader sense to cover the narrations about the Companions [of the Prophet.] and Successors [to the Companions] as well.
The explosion of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries confronted Islamic scholars with a daunting task: to preserve the knowledge of the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws). Hence the science of Ahaadeeth evaluation was born. We recommend that you read the “Introduction to The Science of Ahaadeeth” below to understand the tremendous efforts that were required to sift the true reports from the false reports. The success of the early scholars is also captured below by some collections of Ahaadeeth.
Imaam Barbaharee Said: May Allaah have mercy upon you! Know that the Sunnah is not a matter for analogies or reasoning with examples, and desires are not to be followed in it. Rather, it is just a case of affirming the narrations from Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam), without asking how, explaining or saying: ‘Why?’ or ‘How?’
