Meaning & use
hadith
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Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
A reported statement or action of the Prophet Muhammad, passed down by a chain of narrators and treated as a guide for Muslim belief and conduct.
Grammar: Countable for a single report (a hadith); uncountable for the whole tradition (the study of hadith).
Patterns
- a hadith about something
- according to a hadith
- hadith of someone
The teacher quoted a hadith about kindness to neighbors.
Scholars checked the chain of narrators before accepting the hadith as sound.
Many Muslims study hadith alongside the Quran to understand daily practice.
Word forms
| plural | hadiths |
|---|---|
| plural (Arabic) | ahadith |
Common combinations
- authentic hadith
- Scholars graded the report as an authentic hadith.
- collection of hadith
- Her library holds a famous collection of hadith.
- narrate a hadith
- He narrated a hadith he had learned from his teacher.
- science of hadith
- She is pursuing a degree in the science of hadith.
- according to a hadith
- According to a hadith, charity can be as simple as a smile.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- muhaddith noun
- a scholar who studies and transmits hadith
- isnad noun
- the chain of narrators supporting a hadith
- sunnah noun
- the Prophet's example, recorded through hadith
Commonly confused: hadith or Quran?
hadith vs Quran
The Quran is the central scripture of Islam, while hadith are separate reports about the Prophet's words and actions.
Practice
Which statement about hadith is accurate?
Choose one answer.
A hadith records something the Prophet said or did. The prayers, the pilgrimage and the mosque are other parts of Islamic life with their own terms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hadith”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.