Studies in Early Hadith Literature

Studies in Early Hadith Literature

Dr. Muhammad Mustafa al-A`zami

Studies in Early Hadith Literature begins with a brief survey of the literary activities in Pre and Early Islamic Arabia proceeding to the discussion of whether or not the recording of the hadith was permitted by the Prophet. Later on a comprehensive survey of the pre-classical Hadith provides information about the thousands of books of Hadith circulating among scholars in that period. It also reveals the common practice of utilising written documents. The book proceeds with the elucidation of the technical terminology employed for the transmission of Hadith, questions of writing materials, problems of authorship, authenticity of Hadith and other related subjects. In part Two, there are edited versions of three important early manuscripts that corroborate the arguments presented in the text. Most probably, it is the first work of its kind in the field and it is hoped that it will open new horizons for further research and help eliminate many prevalent misunderstandings that have resulted from a lack of proper awareness of the true nature of the Hadith literature.

“No doubt the most important field of research, relative to the study of Hadith, is the discovery, verification, and evaluation of the smaller collections of Traditions antedating the six canonical collections of Al-Bukhari, Muslim and the rest. In this field Dr. A`zami has done pioneer work of the highest value, and he has done it according to the exact standards of scholarship.” —A. J. Arberry

• Cover: Hardback
• Language: English
• Author: Dr. Muhammad Mustafa al-A`zami
• Publisher: Suhail Academy
• Pages: 342
• Size: 23 x 14 cm
• Weight: 700 (gram)