Compiled Ahadith of The Prophet

Source: www.aljamaat.org

Compilation of Ahadith	30th November 2007
by Members of Jamaatul Muslimeen

It is a common misconception amongst people that ahadith were collected and written down after 200 years of Prophet Muhammad (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-Wa-Sallam) ’s death. This misconception has created suspicions among people regarding the authenticity of ahadith.

Ahadith were compiled and written down since the time of Prophet Muhammad (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam), and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) had their own scrolls or books, with the help of these scrolls and books other ahadith books were compiled later on.

At first the Prophet (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) stopped his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) from writing down ahadith (Sahih Bukhari), but later he ordered to write them.

Messenger of Allah (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) said to Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him): Write ahadith, I swear by Him in Whose Hands my life is, that nothing comes out from this mouth except for truth. (Abu Dawood, volume 1, and pg. 158: Sanad is Sahih) (Tafeem ul Islam, pg 64)

Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) says: We were seated near the messenger of Allah (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) and were writing, when it was asked: Which city will be conquered first, Constantinople or Rome? He (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) said: Hercule's city will be conquered first. (Sunan Darmi, pg 126: Sanad is Sahih) (Tafeem ul Islam, pg 64)

Prophet (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) said: Write this hadith and give it to Abu Shah (may Allah be pleased with him)....(Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says: We don't have anything but Kitab Allah and the scriptures in which are ahadith of the messenger of Allah (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam).(Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Amongst the sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) no one but Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates ahadith more than I do, because he used to write them and I didn't. (Sahih Bukhari)

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) heard a hadith and liked it so much, that he told his son to write it and he wrote it. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab ul Iman)

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that when Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sent him to Yemen as the governor, he wrote on a scroll and gave it to him whose content was: Start with Allah 's name who is Rehman and Raheem, this is the obligation of Zakat which Prophet of Allah (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) has told the Muslimeen and this is what Allah ordered His Prophet. (Sahih Bukhari: Kitab ul Zakat)

The narrator Hamad bin Salma says: I got this book from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) 's grandson Samama. (Nasai: Kitab ul Zakat) (Tafeem ul Islam, pg 65)

Imam Malik says: I read Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) 's book. (Muwatta Malik, pg 106) (Tafeem ul Islam, pg 66)

From the above few authentic narrations from many, we can conclude that ahadith were being written down since the time of the Prophet (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam). From such scripts other famous ahadith books were compiled.

But where are these scrolls or books?

When the ahadith were copied and narrated into other books, it was but logical that smaller compilations got absorbed in bigger ones, while some manuscripts are present today as well.

It is not true that the muhadditheen collected only verbally transmitted ahadith, and there were no compilations till the 2nd century.

Old compilations like Sahifa Hammam (which is a collection of ahadith narrated from Abu Huraira by Imam Hammam bin Munabbi, compiled in the 51st AH) are still available for anyone to view, while these ahadith are narrated in other books as well.