Have you ever been told that there are no truly authentic hadiths, and that the entire science of hadith methodology should be disregarded? Those studying Islam at universities are often taught this by Western academics. Indeed, there are also groups of "Quran-only" Muslims who believe that hadith science is inherently flawed, and that hadiths are not needed to understand the Qur'an. How do we understand and respond to such claims?

The importance of hadith has been a self-evident religious fact ever since the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, all the way down to recent times. Objections against the reliability of hadith literature were first raised by orientalists and then taken forward and promoted by modernist Muslims to an unprecedented degree. There are now few Muslims who haven’t heard of some objection or another against hadith, with "Quran-only" approaches becoming more and more common. Because of the prevalence of doubt on this topic, learning about hadith and its disciplines is a communal obligation (fard kifaya) in our times.

Allah says in the Qur'an "Nor does he (the Messenger of Allah) say (aught) of (his own) desire. It is no less than revelation (wahi) sent down to him" (al-Najm, 3-4). The statements and actions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, were thus meticulously preserved and passed on to those not present. "We have without doubt, sent down the Message; and we will assuredly guard it" (al-Hijr, 9), and the promise here refers to the preservation of both the Qur'an and the Sunna.

Early Muslim scholars thus took to carefully examining and analyzing every utterance that came down to them, utterances attributed to the blessed Prophet, his companions, or other early Muslims. The science of hadith is not only unprecedented but also unmatched until today as a rational framework for the analysis of historical reports. Hadith and Its Disciplines will explore the reliability of hadith and their fundamental role in the Sacred Law. You will gain insight into the mistakes of orientalist criticism of hadiths, the errors of "Qur'an-only" claims, and the problems with the methodologies of some recent scholars of hadiths. This course is a comprehensive answer to every single objection to following hadith that is raised in our times, something that—to our knowledge—has not been done in the English language in such a comprehensive manner to date.

The course will begin with the story of hadith, including its transmission and formal documentation. Lessons will then explore both classical and modern hadith criticism, both orientalist and modernist. The course will end with a survey of hadith literature.

By the end of the course, you will have conviction in the need to follow hadith and use the course material to answer objections against doing so. You will have a firm belief in the fact that hadiths have been reliably preserved and develop a deep admiration for the genius of the scholars of hadith in developing unique and rigorous methods for preserving hadiths as well as other books of Islamic literature. This will all lead to a longing to learn more about the sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).

Module 1: The Story of Hadith (3 Lessons)

• The Religious Centrality of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace)
• Early Hadith Transmission
• The Formal Documentation of Hadith
• The Legislative Authority of the Sunna (hujjiyat al-sunna)

Module 2: Classical Hadith Criticism (3 Lessons)

• The Early Hadith Critics
• The Obligation of Following Confidence (hujjiyat al-khabar al-wahid)
• An Overview of Hadith Methodology: Sahih, Da'if, Hasan, and Mawdu'
• Hadith Acquisition (tahammul) and Transmission (ada')
• A Comparison of Historical Methods: Hadith, Quran, and the Bible

Module 3: Modern Hadith Criticism (4 Lessons)

• Part 1 of Module 3: Orientalist Hadith Criticism
  • Were hadiths plagiarized from the Bible and Torah?
  • Was the documentation of hadith an Umayyad Conspiracy?
  • Was there wholesale fabrication of isnads?
• Part 2 of Module 3: Modern Muslim Hadith Criticism
  • Does the Quran suffice us from needing hadith?
  • What about strange hadiths, like the "fly-hadith"?
  • Were the Companions reliable transmitters of hadith?
  • What about Abu Hurayra, Abu Bakra, and 'Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-'As?
  • Did the Prophet and the Companions forbid the writing of hadith? Doesn’t this imply that we shouldn’t follow hadith?

Module 4: A Survey of Hadith Literature (2 Lessons)

• The Six Books of Hadith: Bukhari, Muslim, Nasa'i, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah
• Other Books of Hadith: The Muwatta, The Musnad of Imam Ahmad, Other Masanid, the Ma'ajim of Tabarani, Sunan al-Darimi, Sahih Ibn Khuzayma, Sahih Ibn Hibban, and the works of Imam Bayhaqi
• Books of Narrator Criticism ('ilm al-rijal)

• Live lessons will be conducted by Sh. Hamza.
• All live lessons will be recorded, so that you can hear lessons you miss or review key concepts.
• Printable course slides will add structure to lessons.
• Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi ‘s book Hadith Literature: Its Origin, Development & Special Features edited by Abdal Hakim Murad is a recommended supplement for students in the course.
• An assignment will test and strengthen your understanding of the material.
• You can post questions and engage in discussion in the course forum.
• Sh. Hamza will hold weekly office hours.