1. Literal Meanings
The literal meaning of Hadith is “statement” or “talk”1 that is something “new”2. The contrasting term is known as Qadeem which means “old”.
In pre-Islamic Arabia, Hadith has been referred to any piece of news and also stories that are either historical or mythical. With the advent of Islam, the term has since been changed to carry a new technical meaning. Hadith now almost exclusively refers to the report of words and deeds, approval and disapproval of Prophet Muhammad (saw). It is not to be confused with the term Sunnah which literally means “practice”3.
Basically then, Hadith refers to the statements or reports of what Muhammad (saw) has said or done. The actual actions or practices of Muhammad (saw) itself is the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw).
2. Significance
The followers of Muhammad (saw) during his lifetime were highly interested and keen in his guidance. As such, it was natural for them to take note and pass on the sayings and actions of the Prophet (saw) to other people. Even seemingly trivial things like what Muhammad ate or wore were noted down in Sahifas4 and followed zealously by the Prophet’s (saw) companions. These were then passed on to the students of the Prophet’s (saw) companions. And these students in turn, passed on their knowledge onto others… and so on and so forth. In any case, the reason for why Muhammad’s (saw) sayings and actions are recorded and that his followers attempt to follow them is perhaps best explained in the following verse in the Qur’an:
قَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ
“..you have indeed in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example…”
This being said, a thorough discussion on the historical development of the compilation of hadith will be attempted in the next entry, Insya Allah.
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1 Rafiq, p1
2 Muhd. Zubayr, p29
3 Dr. G. F. Haddad, The Meaning of Sunnah
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