Islamiyat · May / June 2024 · Paper 21 · Question 2

Give an account of the two components of Hadiths (isnad and matn) and the checks made on them to confirm their reliability.

Mark according to the marking grid for AO1 – Knowledge on page 4. Answers may include some of the following ideas, but all valid material must be credited.

Hadiths are made up of two major components: isnad and matn. Hadith compilers give equal importance to both these components when establishing the reliability of a Hadith.

Candidates in their answer firstly need to describe isnad. It could be said that it is the first component of a Hadith and consists of the chain of names through which it has been received, this is called the sanad. The chain can have a few names or a long list depending on how far the compilers time was from that of the Prophet (pbuh).

The compiler had to examine this chain or the line of transmission very carefully to ensure that the Hadith really did come from the Prophet (pbuh) and was genuine. The reliability of a Hadith depends upon the continuity of the isnad to a large extent, as well as the reliability of the narrator.

The second component of a Hadith is its text or matn and it refers to the message or action or statement of the Prophet (pbuh) given in the Hadith. The early compilers made it an essential rule that the text of a reliable Hadith must be in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an.

Well-developed answers could when writing about matn say that it is indeed the matn of a Hadith which distinguishes Hadith Qudsi from Hadith Nabawi and give examples of them.

For the second part of the answer the candidates need to write about the various checks made by the compilers to confirm the reliability of the Hadiths. Some of the isnad rules that had to be strictly met were as follows:

Some of the rules for establishing the genuineness of matn were:

Explain the reasons why the compilation of Hadiths became necessary? Mark according to the marking grid for AO2 – Understanding on page 5. Answers may include some of the following ideas, but all valid material must be credited.

A reason for Hadith compilation was the need to provide religious and political guidance to the growing Muslim community. This became especially urgent after the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.

In the century following the Prophet’s death the Muslim community passed through a period of unrest and wars. As a result, some Hadiths were forged by different parties to manipulate the authority of the sunna.

The process of compilation also enabled the categorisation of Hadiths, distinguishing the authentic from the false.