What Is a Hadith?
The learner can recognize Hadith as a report of the Prophet's ﷺ saying, action, tacit approval, or state. Read the bilingual lesson for What Is a Hadith? and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. What Will We Learn?
We often hear, ‘A Hadith says…’ In this level, we will learn why a report is called Hadith. By the end, you should be able to: • give a simple definition of Hadith; • recognize an example that fits the definition; • separate it from a religious statement that is not, by itself, Hadith.
2. An Example of Hadith
إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1) Meaning: Actions are judged by intentions, and each person will have what they intended. ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab reports this saying from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. For now, simply notice that a saying of the Prophet ﷺ has been transmitted to us.
3. What Is a Hadith?
A transmitted account of the Prophet's ﷺ saying, action, approval of something, or quality and state is called Hadith. In simple terms, a Hadith may tell us what he said, what he did, which action received his reported approval, or describe one of his qualities or states.
4. The Four Parts of the Definition
• Qawl: a reported saying of the Prophet ﷺ. • Fiʿl: a reported action of the Prophet ﷺ. • Taqrir: the Prophet's ﷺ reported approval or acceptance of an action. • Hal: a reported quality or state of the Prophet ﷺ. For this level, it is enough to recognize that a Hadith may concern any one of these four forms.
5. Why Is This Example a Hadith?
In the Hadith shown above: • ʿUmar reports a saying of the Prophet ﷺ; • a reported saying is called qawl; • therefore, the example fits the definition of Hadith. Its being in Arabic or being about intention is not the deciding reason. The deciding reason is that a saying of the Prophet ﷺ is being reported.
6. Hadith Is Not Only Qawl
A report may fit the definition even when it does not quote a saying directly: • it describes an action of the Prophet ﷺ → fiʿl • it reports his approval of an action → taqrir • it reports a quality or state of his → hal Hadith should therefore not be limited to the Prophet's ﷺ sayings alone.
7. Not Every Religious Statement Is Hadith
A teacher says in their own words, ‘One should have a good intention.’ • This may be useful religious advice; • but the teacher has not reported it from the Prophet ﷺ; • so the sentence is not, by itself, a Hadith. A religious subject is not enough; being transmitted concerning the Prophet ﷺ is an essential part of the definition.
8. An Important Caution
If a message attributes a sentence to the Prophet ﷺ, do not immediately conclude that it has necessarily been verified. • First, we recognize that it is being presented as a Hadith report; • establishing whether that report is reliable is a separate scholarly task; • qualified scholars do that work by examining the relevant principles and evidence. This level teaches only the basic definition of Hadith.
9. Level Summary
• A Hadith is a transmitted account of the Prophet's ﷺ qawl, fiʿl, taqrir, or hal. • Qawl means saying, fiʿl action, taqrir approval, and hal a quality or state. • Not every religious statement is Hadith; ask whether it is transmitted concerning the Prophet ﷺ. • Attribution to the Prophet ﷺ and reliable verification are two different questions.
Practice questions
Question 1
Which account fits the basic definition of Hadith?
- A person reports a saying of the Prophet ﷺ.
- A teacher gives a personal opinion about the life of the Prophet ﷺ.
- A student says that they enjoy religious study.
- A poet recites a verse about good character.
Question 2
Why is ‘إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ’ used as an example of Hadith in this level?
- Because ʿUmar reported it as a saying of the Prophet ﷺ.
- Because the wording is in Arabic.
- Because it mentions intention.
- Because the wording is short.
Question 3
An account reports an action of the Prophet ﷺ but quotes no saying of his. Which statement is correct under the basic definition?
- It may be a Hadith because fiʿl is also included in the definition.
- It cannot be a Hadith because a saying must be quoted.
- It is a Hadith only if the account is written in Arabic.
- It is a teacher's personal explanation.
Question 4
What term in the definition means a reported action of the Prophet ﷺ?
Question 5
A transmitted account of a quality or state of the Prophet ﷺ may fit the basic definition of Hadith even when it quotes no saying.
Question 6
A message attributes a sentence to the Prophet ﷺ. Which conclusion is most accurate at this level?
- It is being presented as a Hadith report, but verifying it is a separate task.
- It must be correct because the Prophet's ﷺ name is written.
- It must be false because the message gives no detailed reference.
- If the sentence sounds good, no verification is needed.
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