On-demand course

The Science of Hadith

“The Science of Hadith” is a course that will introduce students to hadith terminology, including a basic overview of the historical development of hadith transmission.

Course curriculum

1. Course Notes: Print Edition (PDF)
1. The Definition and Significance of Hadith
2. Lesson 1 Notes (PDF)
1. The Role of Isnaad in Hadith Authentication
2. Lesson 2 Notes (PDF)
1. What Defines Hadith Literature?
2. Lesson 3 Notes (PDF)
1. Defining Hadith Qudsi
2. Lesson 4 Notes (PDF)
1. The Merits of Narrating Hadith
2. Lesson 5 Notes (PDF)
1. The Merits of Writing and Memorizing Hadith
2. Lesson 6 Notes (PDF)
3. Go Deeper: Recommended Reading (Lessons 1–6)
4. Review Quiz: Lessons 1–6
1. The Quran and the Practice of Writing
2. Lesson 7 Notes (PDF)
1. Conflicting Reports on Writing Hadith of the Prophet
2. Lesson 8 Notes (PDF)
1. Hadith Prohibition During the Life of the Prophet
2. Lesson 9 Notes (PDF)
1. Hadith Prohibition on the Prophet's Deathbed
2. Lesson 10 Notes (PDF)
1. Hadith Prohibition During Abu Bakr's Caliphate
2. Lesson 11 Notes (PDF)
1. Hadith Prohibition During Umar's Caliphate
2. Lesson 12 Notes (PDF)
1. Hadith Prohibition During the Umayyad Caliphate
2. Lesson 13 Notes (PDF)
1. Motivations Behind Hadith Prohibition
2. Lesson 14 Notes (PDF)
3. Go Deeper: Recommended Reading (Lessons 7–14)
1. Early Hadith Collection
2. Lesson 15 Notes (PDF)
1. The Emergence of Musannaf Collections
2. Lesson 16 Notes (PDF)
1. The Musnad Era
2. Lesson 17 Notes (PDF)
1. The Sahih and Sunan Movement
2. Lesson 18 Notes (PDF)
1. The Six Authentic Hadith Books in Sunni Islam
2. Lesson 19 Notes (PDF)
1. Other Sunni Books of Hadith
2. Lesson 20 Notes (PDF)
1. The Most Comprehensive Sunni Hadith Book
2. Lesson 21 Notes (PDF)
3. Go Deeper: Recommended Reading (Lessons 15–21)
4. Review Quiz: Lessons 7–21
1. Hadith of the Ahlul Bayt
2. Lesson 22 Notes (PDF)
1. Hadith Collections of Ahlul Bayt
2. Lesson 23 Notes (PDF)
1. Shia Resistance Against Hadith Ban
2. Lesson 24 Notes (PDF)
1. Ancient Books of Hadith
2. Lesson 25 Notes (PDF)
1. The Four Hundred Usul
2. Lesson 26 Notes (PDF)
1. The Four Most Reliable Shia Hadith Collections
2. Lesson 27 Notes (PDF)
1. Other Shia Hadith Collections
2. Lesson 28 Notes (PDF)
3. Go Deeper: Recommended Reading (Lessons 22–28)
4. Review Quiz: Lessons 22–28
1. The Journalist Analogy
2. Lesson 29 Notes (PDF)
1. The Problem of Hadith Forgery
2. Lesson 30 Notes (PDF)
1. The Development of Early Sunni Hadith Criticism
2. Lesson 31 Notes (PDF)
1. Levels of Hadith in Sunni Islam
2. Lesson 32 Notes (PDF)
1. Shia Hadith Criticism
2. Lesson 33 Notes (PDF)
1. Levels of Hadith in Shia Islam
2. Lesson 34 Notes (PDF)
1. Variances in Hadith
2. Lesson 35 Notes (PDF)
1. Audiences of Prophetic Hadith
2. Lesson 36 Notes (PDF)
1. Imam Ali Explains Why Hadiths Differ
2. Lesson 37 Notes (PDF)
3. Go Deeper: Recommended Reading (Lessons 29–37)
1. Contradictions in Shia Hadith
2. Lesson 38 Notes (PDF)
1. Personal vs Universal
2. Lesson 39 Notes (PDF)
1. Time-Bound vs Timeless
2. Lesson 40 Notes (PDF)
1. Conditional vs Absolute
2. Lesson 41 Notes (PDF)
1. The Loss of Contextual Clues
2. Lesson 42 Notes (PDF)
1. Changing Terminology
2. Lesson 43 Notes (PDF)
1. The Influence of Dialect
2. Lesson 44 Notes (PDF)
3. Go Deeper: Recommended Reading (Lessons 38–44)
4. Review Quiz: Lessons 29–44

About this course

44 lessons
7.5 hours of video content

Print-Ready Course Notes

Lesson 1: The Definition and Significance of Hadith

Lesson 2: The Role of Isnaad in Hadith Authentication

Lesson 3: What Defines Hadith Literature?

Lesson 4: Defining Hadith Qudsi

Lesson 5: The Merits of Narrating Hadith

Lesson 6: The Merits of Writing and Memorizing Hadith

Lesson 7: The Quran and the Practice of Writing

Lesson 8: Conflicting Reports on Writing Hadith of the Prophet

Lesson 9: Hadith Prohibition During the Life of the Prophet

Lesson 10: Hadith Prohibition on the Prophet's Deathbed

Lesson 11: Hadith Prohibition During Abu Bakr's Caliphate

Lesson 12: Hadith Prohibition During Umar's Caliphate

Lesson 13: Hadith Prohibition During the Umayyad Caliphate

Lesson 14: Motivations Behind Hadith Prohibition

Lesson 15: Early Hadith Collection

Lesson 16: The Emergence of Musannaf Collections

Lesson 17: The Musnad Era

Lesson 18: The Sahih and Sunan Movement

Lesson 19: The Six Authentic Hadith Books in Sunni Islam

Lesson 20: Other Sunni Books of Hadith

Lesson 21: The Most Comprehensive Sunni Hadith Book

Lesson 22: Hadith of the Ahlul Bayt

Lesson 23: Hadith Collections of Ahlul Bayt

Lesson 24: Shia Resistance Against Hadith Ban

Lesson 25: Ancient Books of Hadith

Lesson 26: The Four Hundred Usul

Lesson 27: The Four Most Reliable Shia Hadith Collections

Lesson 28: Other Shia Hadith Collections

Lesson 29: The Journalist Analogy

Lesson 30: The Problem of Hadith Forgery

Lesson 31: The Development of Early Sunni Hadith Criticism

Lesson 32: Levels of Hadith in Sunni Islam

Lesson 33: Shia Hadith Criticism

Lesson 34: Levels of Hadith in Shia Islam

Lesson 35: Variances in Hadith

Lesson 36: Audiences of Prophetic Hadith

Lesson 37: Imam Ali Explains Why Hadiths Differ

Lesson 38: Contradictions in Shia Hadith

Lesson 39: Personal vs Universal

Lesson 40: Time-Bound vs Timeless

Lesson 41: Conditional vs Absolute

Lesson 42: The Loss of Contextual Clues

Lesson 43: Changing Terminology

Lesson 44: The Influence of Dialect

About this course