Hadith Literature: Its Origin, Development & Special Features

"Hadith Literature: Its Origin, Development & Special Features", written by Professor Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi, is an introduction which presents the various aspects of the subject of Hadith and its importance within Islam. Hadith, the sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, form a sacred literature which for Muslims ranks second in importance only to the Qur'an itself. As a source of law, ethics and doctrine, the vast corpus of Hadith continues to exercise decisive influence. "Hadith Literature: Its Origin, Development & Special Features" explains the origin of Hadith literature, the evolution of the "isnad" system, the troubled relationship between scholars and the state, the problem of falsification, and the gradual development of a systematic approach to the material. An interesting appendix demonstrates that a high proportion of the medieval Hadith scholars were women. This edition is a fully revised and updated version of the original, which was first published in 1961 to considerable scholarly acclaim.