What is Hadith
Hadith when used as a term in Islam is a report of what the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said or did on a certain occasion in His life.
What is Sunnah?
While on the other hand Sunnah means practice in the Arabic language. But in the language of the Prophet and His companions it denotes the whole lawful practice followed and spread across the religion.
Importance of Hadith.
The hadiths are very important in Islam because they fill in the details on Islamic life. Where the Quran gives Muslims a broad framework for how we should live, the Hadeeths give us specific information. Here are some examples of how the hadiths give us specifics on general commandments from the Quran.
The Quran commands Muslims to pray.
– However, Prophet Muhammad has informed us how and when to perform Islamic prayers in several hadiths.
The Quran commands Muslims to make Hajj.
The Quran commands Muslims to make Hajj.
– However, narrations describing the Hajj and Umrah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) tell us how to make Hajj.
The Quran commands Muslims to give Zakah.
– However, it is hadith quoting narrations from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that tell us who must pay Zakah, and how much to give.
To put it simple, the hadith explain the Sunnah (practice or tradition) of Prophet Muhammad, (peace be upon him.)
"Everything attributed to Prophet Muhammad (or the Companions or following generation), such as words, deeds, explanations, or characteristics of his creation and character."
The word Sunnah literally means "path and behavior". Although to start with the term sunnah was used for "the deeds of the Prophet", and hadith for "the words of the Prophet", Sunnah has become a term that is used for all direct explanations by the Prophet through words or deeds and his indirect explanations by tacit approval of events he heard or witnessed. According to scholars of usul al-fiqh, this is the definition of Sunnah. However, hadith scholars use the words hadith and Sunnah interchangeably.
COMPONENTS OF HADITH
A hadith is composed of two main parts that are quite different from each other: the sanad (chain of narrators) and the matn (text).
Sanad is the list of narrators - back to the Prophet (peace be upon him) - provided that one narrator transmits it from another and then to another. In a sense, this part is the chain of narrators. In fact, it is called the isnad,"the chain of narrators". Actually, the words sanad and isnad are used interchangeably now. Sanad is also known as tariq or wach.
The matn is "the main part of the hadith, the verbal part with which the sanad ends.
