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About hadiths: works and terms

Lessons 28 · 1 lessons · Q. Yo‘ldoshev, V. Qodirov, J. Yo‘ldoshbekov. Literature: textbook for Grade 9 of general secondary schools. Revised and expanded 4th edition. “O‘zbekiston” NMIU, Tashkent, 2019
28

About the hadiths

Textbook: pp. 139–144
GoalExplain al-Bukhari’s works, the “Sahih” collection and the key terms of hadith scholarship (sanad, matn, roviy, muhaddis, sahih).
New words
chain of transmission · sanadtext of a hadith · matntransmitter · roviyhadith scholar · muhaddis
Explanation

Imam al-Bukhari wrote more than twenty works, among them “Al-jome’ as-sahih” (Sahih al-Bukhari), “Al-adab al-mufrad”, three “At-ta’rix” books and “Barr ul-volidayn”. A hadith is the Prophet’s words, instructions and decisions. Each has two parts: the sanad – the chain of those who passed it on – and the matn, the text itself; each narrator in the chain is a roviy, and a scholar of hadith is a muhaddis. “Sahih” means reliable; al-Bukhari sorted hadiths into reliable and unreliable ones. By the textbook, the “Sahih” has 7275 hadiths with repeats and about 4000 without, and was written about 1200 years ago. The book opens with a section on faith and moves to a chapter on knowledge; the saying “seek knowledge even in China” is read symbolically – as a far and hard road. The textbook says the spirit of hadiths echoes in Yugnakiy, Yusuf Xos Hojib, Navoiy, Ogahiy and Furqat. The sayings of the Prophet’s companions are called “asar” (osor).

Worked examples
Example: a chain beginning “X heard from Y, who heard from the Prophet: …” is the sanad; the statement that follows is the matn. Each name in the chain is a roviy.
Example: the essence of “Sahih” is selection – choosing the reliable ones out of many circulating reports. It resembles checking sources today (comparing information from several places).
Class activity

Pick one rumour from school life and try to find its “sanad”: who heard it from whom? Report briefly to the class.

Practice
1
Name the two parts of a hadith.
2
What does “sahih” mean and what did al-Bukhari do?
3
How many hadiths without repeats does the textbook say the “Sahih” has?
4
Why does having a sanad matter for a hadith?