"Hadith serves as a source of information for the history of pre-Islamic Arabia and of early Islam, and for the development of Islamic Thought in general and Islamic law in particular. It has played an important part in establishing a common culture for the whole of Islamic world. Hence, the history of the origin, development and criticism of Hadith literature is a major branch of Islamic studies."--Back cover.

The hadith, the sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, form a sacred literature which for the Muslims ranks second in importance only to the Qur'an itself. As a source of law, ethics and doctrine, the vast corpus of hadith continue to exercise decisive influence. Islamic scholarship has hence devoted immense efforts to gathering and classifying the hadith, and ensuring their authenticity. This book is the only introduction in English which presents all the aspects of the subject. It explains the origin of the literature, the evolution of the isnad system, the troubled relationship between scholars and the state, the problem of falsification, and the gradual development of a systematic approach to the material. This edition is a fully revised and updated version of the original, which was first published in 1961 to considerable scholarly acclaim. Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi was Professor of Islamic Culture in the University of Calcutta.

Find out all you need to know about Hadith methodology and literature.

This book demonstrates the central role of ḥadīth scholars of the third/ninth century in the articulation of Sunnī Islam. Special attention is devoted to the critical opinions of al-Dhahabī, Ibn Saʿd, Ibn Maʿīn, and Ibn Ḥanbal.

Contrary to popular opinion, the bulk of Islamic law does not come from the Quran but from hadith, first-hand reports of the Prophet Muhammad’s words and deeds, passed from generation to generation. However, with varying accounts often only committed to paper a century after the death of Muhammad, Islamic scholars, past and present, have been faced with complex questions of historical authenticity. In this wide-ranging introduction, Jonathan A. C. Brown explores the collection and criticism of hadith, and the controversy surrounding its role in modern Islam. This edition, revised and updated with additional case studies and attention to the very latest scholarship, also features a new chapter on how hadiths have been used politically, both historically and in the Arab Spring and its aftermath. Informative and accessible, it is perfectly suited to students, scholars and general readers interested in this critical element of Islam.