Traditions of deeds and words attributed to the Prophet Muhammad which, after the Qur'an, provide the basis of Islamic Law.

The Prophet used to sit with his Companions in a circle. His sayings and actions were carefully noted and memorized. Thousands of hadiths were collected dealing with topics such as religious faith, purification, fasting, pilgrimage, trading transactions, inheritance, punishment, warfare, animal sacrifice, food, clothing, manners, Paradise and Hell.
The Hadith were not collated until the Third Islamic Century. In the meantime many doubtful or spurious hadiths were generated. Before they authenticated them the muhadithun (students of hadith) minutely examined each text (matn) and each isnad (chain of transmitters). For example the isnad, Yahyah-Hammad-Hisham~'Urwah~A'isha shows that A'isha was the witness and passed it on to 'Urwah, who passed it on to Hisham, etc.
The three main divisions of hadith are sahih (sound), hasan (good) and daif (weak). We have only quoted "strongly authenticated hadith." We have also omitted the isnads.)
It may well be that a number of hadith which are accepted may be spurious but if this is taken to its logical conclusion, we would know nothing of Prophet Muhammad. The fundamentalists consider the sahih hadith to be literally true, so in order to combat fundamentalism the modernists must show them for what they are.

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