6 Hadith Books
Hadees is the record of actions, words and way of living of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). It is the Arabic word for speech, report, narrative, and account. Hadith has two parts, first is the chain of narrators who have transmitted the report (isnad), and the second one is the main text of the report (matn). Individual Hadees are classified by Muslim clerics and jurists categorizing it into Sahih, Hasan, or Da’if.
Dissimilar from Holy Quran, Hadith are not divine revelation. They are not written down by Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ)’s followers immediately after his death. It took several generations to collect, collated, and compiled into proper Hadith books. Various collections of Hadees books come to differentiate the different branches of Islamic school of thoughts.
During the 8th and 9th centuries, Hadith sharif were evaluated and gathered into large collections, generations after the death of Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ), after the end of the era of the "rightful" Caliphate Rashidun, over 1,000 km from where Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) lived.
Hadith Sharif defines the rightful way of living and performing regular activities in accordance to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). These are the reported behaviors and rituals defining details of religious practices which are not found in the Quran. For instance, saying five times prayers is mentioned in Quran Kareem, but what is the right method of performing Salaat is only available in Hadith sharif. Similarly, Hadith guides you about everyday activities such as table manners, postures, attire, sleeping manners, to name a few. Hadees is also regarded as the significant tools for understanding the things mentioned in Quran Kareem but not explained in detail.
Significance of Hadith in Islam
The importance of Hadith is secondary to Holy Qur'an. After Holy Quran, Holy Hadith holds the supremacy in developing Islamic jurisprudence. About the significance of Hadith, it has been narrated through a chain of narrators, including Muhammad ibn Isma'il and originating with Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, that the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) once addressed his people in Mina saying ‘O people, whatever comes to you in the form of my Hadith, if it agrees with the Holy Book of Allah, it is genuine, but whatever comes to you that does not agree with the book of Allah you must know that I have not said it.'
List of Hadith Books
Some of the list of Hadith books collected by Muhaddiths includes:
Kutub al-Sittah, the Six Canonical Books of Hadith:
Sahih Bukhari
Sahih Muslim
Sunan al-Nasa'i
Sunan Abu Dawud
Sunan al-Tirmidhi
Sunan Ibn Majah
Sahih Bukhari:
The book of Sahih Bukhari contains all the knowledge of the Holy sayings of Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). This book contains all the Hadith related to every subject and aspect of life. The importance of this book is that it contains parts. Each part has its own topic and chapters related to it. Sahih Bukhari is a complete book for the guidance. The Sahih Bukhari is a real authentic source of Hadith.
Sahih Muslim:
Sahih Muslim is the second book of which is narrated from Sahih Bukhari. The Hadees mentioned in the book are authentic. Sunni Muslims consider this book the second most authentic Hadith collection, after Sahih Bukhari. Sahih Muslim book is as much important for Hadith as Sahih Bukhari. Sahih Muslim has a bayaan upon the rules of transactions, the rules of divorce, wills, vows, oaths, punishments, property, government, agreements and many other aspects related to these problems.
Sunan Al Nasai:
Sunan Al Nasai can be stated as the third edition in the books of Ahadith. This great book Sunan al Nasai of Abu Abdur-Rahman Ahmad bin Shu'aib bin Bahr An-Nasai Nasa of Khurasan contains 5761 Ahadith, making it as an invaluable addition to anyone's library. Sunnis regard this collection as the fifth most important of their Sahah Sitta Hadith collections.
Sunan Abu Dawud:
Sunan Abu Dawud is different from other books of Hadees as it is divided into 3 other categories. The first category consists of those traditions that are mentioned by Bukhari and/or Muslim. The second types of traditions are those which fulfill the conditions of Bukhari or Muslim. It took Abu Dawood 20 years to collect the Hadiths. Sunnis regard this collection in Sunan Abu Dawud as fourth in strength of their six major Hadith collections.
Sunan Al Tirmidhi:
Jamia Tirmizi is a collection of Hadith Book compiled by Imam Abu Isa Muhammad at-Tirmizi (رحمۃ اللہ علیہ). Imam Tirmizi began compiling it after the year 250 A.H. and completed this work with an effort spread over 20 years. Imam Tirmizi’s method was that of placing the heading first, then mentioning one or two Ahadith which were related to the heading. These Ahadith in Jamia Tirmizi are followed by his opinion as to the status of the Hadith.
Sunan Ibn Majah:
Sunan Ibn Majah is one of the major books of Ahadith. This Sunan was authorized by Ibn Majah. Ibn e Majah was born in Qazwin which is modern Iranian province today. He left his hometown to travel to the Islamic world. The book contains so many important chapters and Hadees related to some very crucial aspects of life. Sunan Ibn Majah is one of the most authentic books of Ahadith. The most discussed chapter in this book of Sunan Ibn Majah is about the etiquettes.
This page comprise of online Hadith books chapter wise in Arabic, Urdu, and English. Every Hadith book has various chapters and Hadees for each chapter is mentioned. You can even select your desired Hadith book and select the relevant chapter you are looking for to check for Islamic guidance in various acts of life. You can read, and share the online Hadith books of your preference to your friends and family. You can even search Naats online from this page.