Maariful Hadith

Hadith memorization is as old as Quran memorization, and has remained in the Ummah since its inception. In this light, many Madrasahs have included the subject of ‘Hifz Hadith’ in their curriculum. This collection of fifty concise Ḥadīths is based on authenticity coupled with variety in the topics that are discussed. The format was set to suit teenage learners, and to instill in them the noble practices that are advocated in the selected Hadiths. This book is highly recommended for every higher grade Maktab learner, as well as beginners in a Dărul ‘Ulum

It is the first of the sahih works, long pre-dating al-Bukhari and Muslim. Al-Bukhari regarded the transmission of Imam Malik narrating from Nafi‘ from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as being ‘the Golden Chain of Transmission’. Abu Dawud, whose Sunan is another of the Six Books of hadith, added “then Malik, from az-Zuhri, from Salim, from his father [i.e. Ibn ‘Umar], then Malik, from Abu z-Zinad, from al-A‘raj, from Abu Hurayrah”, without mentioning anything from anyone other than Malik. Ibn Hajar said, “… some imams say that they are unqualifiedly the soundest of isnads, such as az-Zuhri i.e. the hadith which az-Zuhri – who is better known as Ibn Shihab – narrated from Salim i.e. transmitting to him from Salim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar from his father. The school of Ahmad [ibn Hanbal] and Ibn Rahwayh is that this is unqualifiedly the soundest chain of transmission”. Adh-Dhahabi held that, “The soundest of chains of transmission are those from az-Zuhri from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab from Abu Hurayrah” which are abundant in the Muwatta. Then those which come from Abu’z-Zinād from al-A‘raj from Abū Hurayrah.” Ash-Shāfi‘ī said, “After the Book of Allah, there is no book on the face of the earth sounder than the book of Mālik.” ‘Alā’ ad-Dīn Maghlaṭāy al-Ḥanafī said, “The first person to compile the ṣaḥīḥ was Mālik.” Ibn Ḥajar said, “The book of Mālik is sound by all the criteria that are demanded as proofs in the mursal, munqaṭi‘ and other types of transmission.” As-Suyūṭī followed Ibn Ḥajar’s judgement and said, “It is absolutely correct to say that the Muwaṭṭa’ is sound (ṣaḥīḥ) without exception.” Al-Bukhārī and Muslim transmitted most of its ḥadīths and included them in their Ṣaḥīḥ collections. The authors of the rest of the six books, the Imām of the ḥadīth scholars, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and others did the same. In addition, the Muwaṭṭa’  contains a record of the practice (‘amal) of the people of Madīnah of the first generations, a transmission of the ethos that permeated the city, and Imām Mālik’s painstaking clarification of the Sunna, the ḥadīths, the practice and legal judgements.

The Kitab al-Athar was the first book composed in Islam after the generation of the Companions. Al-Imam al-Azam Abu Hanifah Numan ibn Thabit wrote it. It comprises Ahadith that connect directly back to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam (marfu), those which stop short at a Companion or one of the Followers (mawquf) and those which are attributed to the Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam directly by one of the Followers or Followers of the Followers without attribution to a Companion (mursal).