The recording of the hadith

Sunnah protected Indeed, it is We who sent down the thikr and indeed, We will be its guardian. (Surah Hijr: verse 9) “Thikr” here includes both the Quran and the Sunnah

Hadith went through various stages in its process of compilation.

lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH) There was no pressing need to write down all his statements or to record his actions because he was present and could be consulted at any time.

lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH) Prohibited writing down his statements. REASON: To prevent the possibility of mixing up the Qur'an with his own words during the era of revelation.

lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) Most of the Companions committed the Prophet’s words and actions to memory.

lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH) Abdullah Ibn Amr: one of the Companions who was permitted by the Prophet to write down the ahadith. REASON: The Prophet knew he was sharp and organized so he would not mix the hadeeth with the Quran His collection was later called “As Saheefat- us-Sadiqah”

The Era of the Companions of the Prophet The practice of narration on a large scale started during this period as the Prophet was no longer with them.

The Era of the Companions of the Prophet The custom of travelling to collect and authenticate hadith started at this time.

Era of Tabi`in (1st Century A.H.) At this time some people started fabricating hadith. To combat this development, `Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz ordered the scholars to compile the traditions of the Prophet (pbuh). The scholars had already begun composing books containing biographical data on the various narrators of Hadith in order to expose the liars and fabricators.

Era of Tabi`ut- Tabi`in (2nd Century A.H.) In the period following that of the Tabi`in (era of Tabi`ut- Tabi`in), the hadiths were systematically collected and written in texts. The study of hadith developed into a complete science called the “Sciences of Hadith”

The reason why these three generations have been given special consideration is because the Prophet (pbuh) was reported to have said, “The best of generations is my generation, then the one which follows them, then the one that follows them.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) It was through these three generations that Hadith was first transmitted orally and in written form, until they were compiled into collections on a wide and systematic scale.

Era of the Sahih (3rd Century A.H.) There arose in the third century scholars who undertook the task of critical research of hadiths that were narrated and compiled in the first two centuries. They also grouped the hadiths which they considered to be accurate according to the branches of Islamic Law. For example, from this period is the book Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

The reason for the great care taken to collect the authentic hadeeth of the Prophet (pbuh) was because the Prophet said: “Do not tell lies about me, for whoever tells lies about me will enter Hell.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari. And he (pbuh) said: “Whoever narrates a hadeeth from me that he thinks is false is one of the liars.” Narrated by Muslim