The Writing of Hadeeth

A Masjid in Singapore

Question:

How do you reply to the allegations made by some extreme Orientalists who say that because Hadeeth was written and compiled into one text two hundred years after the Prophet’s era it can only be recorded as someone who heard the hadeeth, saying “I heard someone who heard it from the Prophet (saw)…according to them this makes it hard to judge if a Hadeeth was Saheeh (authentic)or Maudoo (fabricated). Discuss in detail.


Answer


All praise is due to Allah. Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger of Allah.

There are factors which led to the understanding that the hadeeth were not written down during the time of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم . There are few hadeeths that are against recording of hadeeth but all of them are weak except the one found in Saheeh Muslim. This will be tackled later.

One reason for this misunderstanding is that the hadeeth terminolgies for transmission such as haddathanaa (he informed us) and akhbaranaa (he told us) imply oral transmission. But these terminologies were used both for oral transmission or reading from a book by the teachers to student or reading of students to teachers.

Another reason is that the Arabs have uniquely strong memories that they don’t need to write down anything. While it is true that there are exceptional people gifted with photographic memories it is not unique for the Arabs. The fact of the matter is the Arabs and non Arabs from amongst the Companions, the Successors and their students wrote down hadeeth. A cursory glance of the life of the leading narrators of hadeeth amongst the Companions would reveal that indeed they did not depended entirely on their memories for writing hadeeth. Abu Hurairah has at least eight students who wrote down hadeeth from him. Anas ibn Maalik had at least sixteen persons who wrote down hadeeth from him. Ibn Abbas at least had nine, Aisha had at least three, Jaabir had at least fourteen, Abdullah ibn Amr al Aas had at least seven, Ali ibn Abee Taalib had at leat eight. All of these leading hadeeth scholars from the Companions had hadeeth written from them from their students. Other scholars of Companions such as Ibn Mas’ood though no information concerning writing hadeeth came from him had his own book in the possession of his son. Umar ibnul Khattaab quote hadeeth in his official letters.

In the light of above mentioned facts, it is quite safe to assume that probably most of hadeeth of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم , if not all, came to be written during the life of the Companions.[1]

Another reason for such misundersting are the hadeeths that area against recording. But if all the evidences are collated, it points to the understanding that the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم allowed writing but made specific prohibition to write down anything with the Qur’an.

The hadeeth was written during the time of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم. Abdullah ibn ‘Amar said: “I used to write everthing which I head from the Messenger of Allaah صل الله عليه وسلم with the intention of memorizing it. However, some Qurayshites forbade me from doing so saying, ‘Do you write everything that you hear from him. Wile the Messenger of Allaah صل الله عليه وسلم is a human being who speaks in anger and pleasure?’ So I stopped writing, and mentioned it to the Messenger of Allaah صل الله عليه وسلم . He pointed with his finger to his mouth and said: ‘Write! By Him in whose hand is my soul, only truth comes out from it.’[2]

Later on the collection of the writings of Abdullah ibn ‘Amr al Aas in which he collected hundreds or a thousand of sayings of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم came to be known as the As Saheefah As Saadiqah.

On once occasion during delivering a sermon, the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم was requested by one of his companions to write it down to him. Aboo Hurayray said: When Makkah was conquered, the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم stood up and gave a sermon [Aboo Hurayrah then mentioned the sermon]. A man from Yemen, called Aboo Shaah got up and said, “O Messenger of Allaah! Write it down for me.” The Messenger of Allaah صل الله عليه وسلم replied, “Write it for Aboo Shaah”.[3]

The hadeeth found in Saheeh Muslim narrated by Abu Sa’eed al Khudree which reads, “Do not write from me anything except the Qur’an and whoever has written anything from me other than the Qur’an should erase it”[4] is the only Sahih hadeeth concerning the prohibition of writing hadeeth. This hadeeth is disputed amongst scholars and Imam Bukhaaree and others deemed it to be the statement of Abu Sa’eed himself that is erroneously attributed to the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم .[5]

It actually meant that nothing should be written with the Qur’an on the same sheet as this might lead to someone to conclude erroneously that senteces or words written in the margin or between lines belonged to the Qur’an.[6]

Abu Khalid

Furthermore, the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم sent numerous letters, some of them very long to different places at that time. He dictated laws and treaties to his scribes.
[1] Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature. M Azami pg. 27
[2] Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3, p. 1035, no. 3639 and authenticated in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood.
[3] Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3, no. 3641 and authenticated in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood.
[4] Sahih Muslim Chapter Zuhd 72 (The Book of Abstinence and Heart Melting Narrations)
[5] Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature. M Azami pg. 28.
[6] Ibid pg. 28