Types of Ahadith

In Islam, Hadith refers to the sayings and actions of the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) and they are considered very significant because they contributed to
the Islamic literature.

Ahadith provide commandments, instructions and guidance to the Muslims in

their life and in general about the Islamic principles. The Ahadith of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) were compiled in book form, after his demise,
by his followers.This purpose was to ensure that the future generations were not
deprived from the instructions given by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him).There are multiple types of Hadis such as Sahih (Authentic or
Reliable),Hassan (Approved),Dai’f (Weak)and Mau’du (Fabricated) Sahih
Hadith is the most authentic because the Matn (text) and the Sanad (the chain
of transmitters) fulfil all the requirements that are required so that a Hadith can
be considered reliable. The chain of narrators is complete and unbroken and this
type of Hadith is not contradicted by the Holy Quran and other authentic
Ahadis. The Matn, the text of the Hadith, refers to the writing of the
Hadith .The Sanad (plural Isnad) refers to the chain of narrators (reporters of the
Ahadith) who reported the Hadith from the Holy Prophet (‫)صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬. In
other words, these are the authorities who transmitted the sayings of the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him). The Matn and Isnad were analysed to ensure the
genuineness of a Hadith. The Matn was to fulfil the below-mentioned
requirements in order to be considered reliable. Matn was to follow the Quranic
injunctions, It should not contradict other authentic Ahadith, It
should not attack the status of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him),easily
understandable simple Arabic of the time of Prophet (‫)صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬,It should
not go against the wisdom, laws of nature and common sense.In the same way,
there were several methods to check the genuineness of the Sanad as well. The
Sanad should be complete and unbroken and it should end on a companion who
should have reported directly from the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). The
chain was to be completely uninterrupted and according to Imam Bukhari, the
birth and death dates of narrators should overlap. The transmitter was to have
flawless memory because a weak memory also challenged the authenticity of
Hadith. The reports from non-Muslims, children and insane people were not to
be accepted. Hassan Hadith is similar to Sahih hadith but there is some defect
or weakness in the memory of one of its narrator. These types of Hadith should
not contradict the Holy Quran and the other authentic Ahadith of the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him). Some scholars accept Hassan Ahadith while some
reject this type of Hadith because of the weakness in memory of a narrator.
However, some also considered it reliable on the basis of the text (Matn). Da’if
hadis is one that does not fulfil the criteria which is applied to check the
authenticity and reliability of Ahadith. In other words, a Dai’f Hadith does not
meet the conditions (criteria) of a Sahih and Hassan Hadith. This type can either
be weak in the text (Matn) or there might be some defect in the Sanad (chain of
narrators). Weak Ahadith do not contribute to the Islamic law (Shariah).
Mau’du Hadith is said to be fabricated if the text goes against the teachings of
the Holy Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) .Muslims are prohibited to act upon the commandments of a Mau’du
Hadith and this type of Hadith cannot be used to verify Islamic claims. There
are several other categories of Ahadith such as Mutawatir is considered
authentic because a large number of people reported this Hadith. The
“Ahad Hadith” is the one which does not have a complete and unbroken chain
and the reliability of this Hadith can be questioned. This Hadith can be accepted
if the text does not contradict the Quran and the narrators have good conduct or
memory. The Mashhur Hadith is widely known and it also has several chains
of narrators to support the text but this is not considered Mutawatir.
The Aziz Hadith is reported by two narrators in all stages while the Ghareeb is
reported by only one narrator in all stages.
Why was it important to compile Ahadith?

It was important to compile Ahadith so that the commandments and teachings

of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) were not lost.

Similarly, the Ahadith also serve the purpose of explaining the teachings of the
Holy Quran (Tafsir) and therefore, it would have been difficult to understand
Quran without the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).The
compilation ensured that categories (types) of Ahadith were made. As a result,
the wrongdoers were prevented from attributing falsehood to the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him).The compilation preserved the teachings of the messenger
of Allah for the future generations and when massive Hadith literature was in
circulation (after the demise of Hazrat Muhammad ‫)صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬, it became
mandatory to compile Ahadith.