The Executive Summary Religious scholars of Islam, to determine whether or not a particular saying or action of the Prophet of Islam

is genuine, use the science of hadith. Through a series of classifications the authenticity of the second largest source of guidance for Muslims is formed. By studying the science of hadith, a better understanding of Islam and its followers can be reached.

Statement of Need The religion of Islam has over 1.4 billion followers. After September 11, 2002, the demand for information regarding the religion grew steadily as people tried to understand its teachings and beliefs. Muslims, the followers of the Islamic religion, have two main sources of guidance on which they base their lives. The Holy Quran is believed to be the direct word of God and contains teachings that over 1.4 billion people worldwide use as a guideline in their lives. The second source of information is the sayings and actions of Muhammad, a man who is perceived to be mankinds final Prophet. As mankinds final Prophet, all commentary on the Quran was recorded in great detail and preserved for accuracy during his life and after his death. This collection is referred to as hadith and scholars who collect the individual hadith go through a painstaking process to ensure their authenticity. The science of hadith is one of the most important scholarly works that can be done in Islam because of its role in the lives of Muslims. Project Description There are three components in the science of hadith. The Matn is the actual text of the hadith; the isnad is the chain of reporters that lead back to the Prophet; the taraf is the part of the text, which refers to the sayings, actions, or characteristics of the Prophet, or his body language in reference to his words. The authenticity of the hadith depends on the reliability of its reporters, and the linkage among them. The hadith are put together by scholars and compiled in books; the most well known collections include Bukhari and Muslim. Hadith are categorized according to how reliable they are based on the taraf, matn, and isnad. Hadith can be categorized as being divine (directly from God), elevated (a saying overheard by another person), stopped (a narration from a companion of Muhammad), or severed (a narration from a teacher who heard the saying from Muhammad to a student). The isnad are very important in determining whether a hadith is valid. There are six categories ranging from one that is heard directly from Muhammad to one in which a portion of the isnad missing. The number of nattators must be more than one to be considered better than weak. The number of narrators is very important. If a large number of people convey the same message then it is considered to be accurate and valid. However, if only one person narrates a particular saying or action then that hadith is considered weak and unreliable.

The text of the actual message must be valid and not conflict with the Quran or teachings from other narrators. If anything was added to the original text then it is considered weak and not as likely to be taken seriously. Each person who narrates a hadith is also studied in depth. Each persons biography is known, as well as their religious stances, whether or not they can be trusted, and whether or not they could have actually come into contact with Muhammad.

Bibliography: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/scienceofhadith/brief1/

Hasan, Dr. Suhaib. An Introducion to the Science of Hadith. London, 1994.

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