1. Compilation of the Sunnah

2. The Companions and Preserving the Sunnah
Writing the Hadith of the Prophet During their lives
Acting Upon the Hadith – Best Way to Preserve
Memorizing the Hadith
Traveling for the Sake of One Hadith
Verification of Information

3. Memorizing and Reviewing
May Allah brighten the life of a servant who hears a statement from me, memorizes them, then acts upon it and conveys it to others. (Tirmidhi)
Anas narrated, “We used to sit with the Prophet and we were perhaps 60 men, and he used to narrate hadith to us. When he would get up for any purpose, we would review with each other and when we would depart the hadith were firmed planted in our hearts.”
Omar and Abu Musa al Ashari used to review hadith until the early morning.
Abu Huraira – “I used to split my night into three parts: one third sleeping, one third in prayer, and one third I review the hadith of the Prophet.” (al Darimi)

4. Traveling to Hear Hadith
Companions came from far away to hear the Prophet in Medina.
After the death of the Prophet, the companions traveled across the Islamic state to hear hadith from one another.
Reasons for Traveling:
To hear a hadith that one had not heard before.
To verify and confirm the words of a hadith that was previously heard.

5. Examples of Traveling for Hadith
Jabir bin Abdillah traveled for one month to hear a hadith from Abdullah bin Unays in Syria. No other living companion had memorized it except Abdullah.
Abu Ayub al Ansari traveled to Egypt to hear a hadith from ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir. They were the only two companions to know the particular hadith.

6. Verification of Information
يا أيها الذين آمنوا إن جاءكم فاسق بنبإ فتبينوا أن تصيبوا قوما بجهالة فتصبحوا على ما فعلتم نادمين
Ali used to make the companions swear that they heard the hadith before accepting a narration from them.
Umar and the story of Abu Musa (al-Bukhari)
Abu Bakr and the inheritance of the grandmother (1/6)
Al Mughira bin Shu’ba and Muhamad bin Maslama
Marwan bin Hakam, Governor of Medina, testing Abu Huraira
“He did not add anything new or leave anything out.”

7. After the Death of the Prophet
The Companions spread throughout the land.
Medina: Abu Huraira, Aisha
Kufa: Abdullah bin Masud
Damascus: Abu Dardaa
Basra: ‘Imran bin Husain
The Companions would travel and relocate in order to teach the Quran and Sunnah.
Abu Huraira used to narrate hadith on Fridays.
Jabir bin Abdullah used to narrate in Medina.

8. Centers of Learning Medina Syria Kufa Abdullah bin Omar – 63 years
Asmaa bint Abi Bakr – 63 years
al Baraa bin ‘Azib – 63 years
Jabir bin Abdillah – 68 years
Al Saib bin Yazid – 84 years
Syria
Abdullah bin Busr al Maazini– 86 years
Miqdaam bin Ma’di Yakrib – 77 years
Abu Umama al Bahili – 86 years
Kufa
Abdullah bin Abi Awfa – 77 years
‘Amr bin Huraith – 75 years

9. The Tabi’een Traveled to seek knowledge Wrote the Sunnah
Memorized the Sunnah
Compiled the Sunnah
Verification of the Sunnah

10. Why Did They Travel?
To Find the Companions who were spread out all over the state.
To Verify a Hadith
Verify the reality of fabricated narrations
Seek high isnad.

11. Travels of the Tabi’een
Saeed bin Musayib – “I used to travel days and nights to find one hadith.”
Abu ‘Aliyah – “We would hear a hadith in Basra but we wouldn’t be satisfied until we rode to Medina and heard it from the Companions.”
Busr bin Abdillah al Hadrami – “I would travel from one land to another just to hear one hadith.”

12. Writing Hadith From the Companions
Abu Huraira
Basheer bin Naheek
Saeed al Maqbari
Marwan bin Hakam
Hamam bin Munabih
Mohamad bin Sireen
Jabir bin Abdillah
Hasan al Basri
Ata bin Abi Rabah
Qatada
Mujahid
Sulaiman bin Qays al Yashkury
Abdullah bin Aqeel
Ibn Abbas
Saeed al Jubayr
Ibn Abi Malika
Najda Al Haroori
Anas bin Malik
Anas bin Sireen
Thumama

13. Efforts made to Write the Sunnah
“I used to write what I heard from ibn Abbas on paper until I filled the pages, and then I would write on my shoes, and then on my hands.” (Saeed bin Jubayr)
Me and al Zuhri used to seek knowledge and we wrote the sunnah of the Prophet. Then he said, “Let’s write the statements of the companions.” It’s not the sunnah, so I won’t write it.” So he wrote it and I didn’t…He succeeded and I wasted an opportunity. (Salih bin Kaysan)

14. Verifying the Sunnah
“Before the fitna, we didn’t ask for the isnad. However, after the fitna, it was said, “Name your men.” (Muhamad bin Sireen)
Imam Malik – Wouldn’t narrate from anyone unless he personally could vouch for their character

15. Sunnah Compilation Project
Umar bin Abdul Aziz
Official ordered all governors to gather the knowledgeable scholars and write down all the hadith
Ibn Shihab al Zuhri was in charge of the Project
“We compiled the sunnah volume after volume and he (Omar) sent to every land with a governor a volume.”
“He was the first to compile the sunnah” - ibn Abdul Barr

16. Compilations in the 2nd Century
Al Layth bin Sa’d – 175 Hijri
Malik bin Anas – 179 Hijri
Abdullah bin Mubarak – 181 Hijri (Khurasan)
Shu’ba bin Hajjaj – 160 (Basra)
Abdullah bin Wahb – 197 (Egypt)
Sufyan bin Uyayna – 198 (Makka)
Mohamad bin Idris al Shafi’ – 204
Abdul Razzaq bin Hamam – 211 (Yemen)

17. The 3rd Century – The Big Shots
Importance of the 3rd Century
Deep analysis of Grading the Hadith
Categorization of Hadith
Musnad
Sunan
Jami’
Differences in Hadith – Abrogation, explanation, etc.
History and Biography of Narrators
Criticism and Verification of Narrators
Developments in Analysis of Mutoon
Knowledge of ‘Illal

18. The Major Books Saheeh al Bukhari Saheeh Muslim Sunan Abi Dawud
Jami’ al Tirmidhi
Sunan an Nasai
Sunan ibn Majah
Muwatta Malik
Musnad Ahmad

19. Saheeh al Bukhari Lived from 194 – 256 Hijri
al Jami’ al Saheeh al Mukhtasar min Omoor Rasulillah wa sunanihi wa ayyamih
“I memorized 100,000 Saheeh Hadith, and 200,000 that are not Saheeh.”
Meeting with Ishaq bin Rahawayh
Full of Secrets for the Scholars
Book of his Fiqh Opinions
7000+ including repetitive hadith, 4000 w/o

20. Saheeh Muslim Lived from 204 – 261 Hijri
I compiled this book from 300,000 hadith I heard
Student of Imam al Bukhari
Desire to Have a Book free from Da’eef Hadith
4000 hadith without repetition
Organized by Chapters of Fiqh

21. Sunan Abi Dawud Lived from 252 – 275 Hijri
Summary of hadith related to Fiqh
Not limited to Saheeh.
Didn’t gather every hadeeth on the subject
Narrated one hadith in multiple ways
Commented on flaws (‘Illal) in hadith

22. Jami’ al Tirmidhi Lived from 209 – 279 Hijri
Student of Imam al Bukhari
Not limited to fiqh.
Legal rulings derived by scholars and madhahib
Commented on flaws (‘Illal) in hadith
Has his own terminology

23. Sunan al Nasai Lived from 215 – 303 Hijri
Very few narrators who were criticized

24. Sunan ibn Majah Lived from 209 - 272 Hijri
Many narrators who were criticized (compared to the other major books)
~ 4300 Hadith
~ 1339 unique to his book
428 Saheeh
199 Hasan
612 Daeef
99 Mardood

25. Muwatta Malik Lived from 93 – 179 Hijri 1720 Hadith Total
Organized by chapters of fiqh
Includes all types of narrations (not only Prophetic)
Mostly Saheeh, some Daeef
“I don’t know of any book after the Quran that is more sound than the Muwatta of Malik”
Includes the opinions of Imam Malik
Includes what the scholars of Medina used to do.
He showed the book to 70 scholars from Medina

26. Musnad Ahmad He lived from 164 - 241
Organized by the names of the Sahaba
Close to 30,000 hadith
Begins with narrations of the 10 promised paradise.
Then the Companions of Badr, Hudaybia, etc.
Appx 700 Sahaba and 100 Sahabiat