Sources of Wisdom and Authority 6 – Hadith and Sunnah

Starter Activity What did you learn about the Hadith and Sunnah from your research last lesson?

Hadith What are they? Later compiled together ‘Saying’ or ‘report’ Sometimes Muhammad’s reaction to something Hadith From Muhammad Not word-for-word accurate Sometimes a teaching from Muhammad Originally passed on through word of mouth

Hadith Problems were caused through the hadith being passed on through word of mouth initially. It led to people attributing teachings and quotes to Muhammad which were not true. In order to resolve this issue, scholars became very strict about verifying them. The chain of transmission – isnad - (and each person in the chain) of each had to be checked and approved before something could be determined to be a genuine hadith.

Hadith To help them decide which hadith were genuine, scholars devised a classification system to decide whether a hadith was: Sahih (authentic) Da’if (weak) Maudu (doubtful)

Your Task Read through the handout and answer the following questions: Why did Muhammad not like the hadith to be written down? What are the six accepted/accurate collections of hadiths?

Hadith The hadith cover all kinds of topics on which a Muslim may need further advice, including: Faith and knowledge of Islam Ablution and prayer, welfare tax, fasting, pilgrimage Business, employment, other legal matters Jihad Creation Marriage, family life, divorce Food, drink, clothing, manners, vows

Sunnah What is it? Supplementary to Qur’an and hadith ‘The practice’ Of Muhammad Passed on through observation, imitation, instruction Perfect Muslim example

Sunnah ‘Sunnah’ refers to the practices of Muhammad as part of his mission, which were followed by his companions and then passed on from there. The prophet’s life and actions are to be emulated and treated as an example to be followed.

Sunnah “Ye have indeed the Messenger of God as a beautiful pattern of behaviour” (Surah 33:21) “He who obeys the Messenger, obeys God” (Surah 4:80)

Sunnah “Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet… he commands them what is just and what is evil” (Surah 7:157) “We have sent down to you the Message, that you may explain clearly to men what is sent for them” (Surah 16:54)

Progress Check Plenary What have you learnt this lesson? Facts – e.g Ideas/viewpoints Similarities/differences - diversity Key words/concepts Examples of how religion affects the world around us – e.g. culture What contribution to your learning did you make? Contributed to class discussion Worked in a pair/group Organised my time well Found out information for myself Answered thoroughly and thoughtfully Completed extension task Monitored my progress Peer/ self assessed work How did you learn it? Research work Discussion Questioning Pairs/ group work - collaborative Independent learning Using technology e.g video/ internet What do you need to do in order to make further progress? Do further research Background reading Develop my writing technique Contribute more in class Proof read my work Give examples to back up my ideas Make connections between different beliefs and faiths