hadith (pl. ahadith) (ḥadīth (pl. aḥādīth))

(Language: Arabic)

Short Description: The collected sayings of the Prophet of Islam

Long Description: The collected sayings of the Prophet of Islam. The ḥadīth, which comprise the Prophet’s sayings, actions and tacit approvals, constitute the second most important source for Islamic teachings after the Qur’ān, though in volume they far exceed the Qur’ān. The ḥadīth were transmitted through a traditional chain of known intermediaries. A single saying of this sort is called a ḥadīth. This term is also used in English to designate the collected body of the many thousands of such sayings.

Sources: Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition, edited by Dr. Joseph Lumbard ; also from The Fullness of God: Frithjof Schuon on Christianity, by Frithjof Schuon, edited by Dr. James S. Cutsinger.