The conversation and actions of the Holy Prophet (s) are called Hadith, sayings are called Hadith Qauli, and actions are called Hadith Fe'li. If any companion of the Holy Prophet has acted in front of him and the Holy Prophet has remained silent, then it is called Hadith-e-Taqreeri. The hadith in which the meaning is from Allah and the words are of the Prophet (s) then it is called Hadith Qudsi.
Hadiths are interpretations of the Holy Quran. Allah Almighty has Himself ordered to follow the commands of the Holy Prophet The Holy Prophet has come as a teacher for the humanity and it is not possible for a Muslim to live his routine life without getting the directions from Hadiths. The blessed Hadiths have a fundamental position in acts of worship, affairs and orders and will continue to be followed until the Day of Resurrection. That is why during the period of Prophethood and the period of the Companions of the Holy Prophet , great emphasis was laid on its protection and the blessed Hadiths were recorded regularly. Compilation of Hadith refers to collecting blessed Hadiths and giving them book form. The details of compilation of Hadith are as follows:
The process of collection and compilation of the blessed Hadiths of the Holy Prophet had begun in the Prophet's era. In the collection and compilation of Hadith, the a) himself has included his approval and consent. The Holy Prophet d) was himself fond of his words being heard, taken into consideration and preserved. For that reasons, he used to talk slowly so that the person in front understands it well and remembers it. Sometimes he would repeat his words three times so that the addressee would remember them. Holy Prophet (su) used to pray for the guardians of Hadith in these words:
May Allah bless the person who listened to me, remembered it and conveyed it to the people. (Sunan Abi-Dawood: 3660)
The companions Messenger of Allah used to make arrangements to memorize, write and narrate the Hadiths of the Holy Prophet (s). The Companions of the Holy Prophet had three main sources to preserve the Hadiths in the period of prophethood. It included memorizing the Hadiths, writing them down and acting according to those blessed Hadiths in daily life.
The Holy Prophet (s) encouraged his companions to memorize the Hadiths as well as to put them in written form. That is why the Hadiths of the Prophet were started to be written in the book form in the life of the Messenger of Allah.
Many companions of the Holy Prophet made it their mission of life to gather the Hadiths in book form when the Messenger of Allah (s) passed away.
There are a lot of proofs confirming that the Hadiths were put into written form in the era of the Holy Prophet:
Some of these are as follows.
The invitations and letters that the Prophet himself wrote to the rulers of Egypt, Syria and Iran during the Prophet's era are preserved in written form even today in various places. When the Holy Prophet sent Hazrat Umar Ibn Hazm as guardian of Yemen, he gave him the orders regarding charity and inheritance in writing. In the same way, the detailed rules about Zakat were enlisted with the people whom he had sent for the collection of Zakat.These rulings were in written form with the Companions .
Some of the Companions of the Prophet had personal copies of Prophetic Hadiths. Sahifa Sadiqah is a collection of Hadiths from the period of Prophethood. It was compiled by Hazrat Abd Allah Ibn Amr Ibn al-Aas. Apart from this, Hazrat Abu Huraira, Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood written versions of blessed Hadiths.
After the Companions of the Prophet during the time of the ,Tabi'een, the collection and compilation of the blessed Hadiths took the form of an organized movement. During this period, the Tabi'een compiled several books of Hadiths, which became regular sources in later periods. All these efforts regarding the collection and compilation of Prophetic Hadiths were of a personal nature. The process of collection and compilation at the official level started during the reign of Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz . Imam Malik and the authors of Sihah Sitta have the honor of bringing the movement of Hadith collection and compilation to its peak. Mu'ta Imam Malik, Sahih Bukhari, Sahi Muslim, Jami at-Tirmidhi, Sunan Abu Dawood, Sunan Nasa'i and Sunan Ibn Majah are the most authentic collections of this era.
Among the means of collecting and compiling the Hadith of the Prophet after memorization and writing, the third means is the practical continuation of the Sunnah of the Prophet (s), which is commanded in the Holy Quran. The entire Ummah is in agreement that after the Holy Quran, the blessed Hadiths are the only source of guidance. Allah has commanded in the Holy Quran:
وَمَا أَتَكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ * وَمَانَهُكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا
Translation:
And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you from, abstain (from it). (Surah Al-Hashr: 7)
It is quite obvious by having a glance at the history of protection and compilation of Hadiths that Allah has provided the sources for protection of Hadith of the Prophet (s) along with the Holy Quran, so that the believers can follow it until the Day of Judgment and achieve success in this world and the hereafter.
