Cambridge IGCSE Islamiyat: History and Importance of the Hadiths, Subtopic 2.2 (0493)

The History and Importance of the Hadiths is Paper 2 Question 2 of Cambridge IGCSE Islamiyat 0493, a compulsory 14-mark essay question. It asks how the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) were recorded, collected and tested for reliability, what the major Sunni and Shi’a collections are, and how Hadiths are used alongside the Qur’an, ijma’ and qiyas in Islamic law and in Muslims’ lives.

Syllabus coverage

0493 Paper 2, Topic 2: The history and importance of the Hadiths (2026–2027 syllabus)

• The history of the compilation of the Hadiths and the earliest collections
• The main musnad and musannaf collections, the main compilers and their activities
• Methods of testing reliability through the chain of transmitters (isnad) and the text (matn)
• The main features of the six Sunni collections and the four Shi’a collections
• The major themes of the Hadiths, in the set passages and similar ones
• Their use in legal thinking and their relationship with the Qur’an, ijma’ (consensus) and qiyas (analogy)
• Their significance in thought and action in Islam

What is a Hadith?

A Hadith is a report of what the Prophet (pbuh) said, did or approved. Each Hadith has two parts: the isnad, the chain of people who passed it on (“A told me that B said that C heard the Prophet say…”), and the matn, the text itself. The Sunnah is the Prophet’s way of life, known mainly through Hadiths.

How were the Hadiths collected?

In the Prophet’s lifetime. Companions memorised his words and observed his practice. At first the Prophet discouraged writing Hadiths down, according to some reports so that they would not be confused with the Qur’an, but some companions, such as Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, kept written notes with his permission.

The companions and successors. After his death, companions taught Hadiths in Madina, Kufa, Basra, Damascus and other centres. Students (the tabi’un) travelled widely to hear them. Early written notebooks, called sahifas, were kept; a well-known surviving example is the sahifa of Hammam ibn Munabbih, a student of Abu Hurayra.

Official encouragement. The Umayyad caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (ruled 717–720) ordered scholars to collect Hadiths in writing, fearing they would be lost as the companions’ generation died. Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri was one scholar associated with this work.

Musannaf and musnad collections. In the second and third Islamic centuries scholars compiled two main types of book:

Type	Arrangement	Examples
Musannaf	By subject, such as prayer, fasting or trade, so useful for law	Imam Malik’s al-Muwatta; the Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq
Musnad	By the companion who narrated each Hadith	The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal

How did scholars test whether a Hadith was reliable?

Isnad criticism. Scholars studied the biographies of narrators (ilm al-rijal). A reliable chain needed narrators who were known to be of good character and religious practice, had a sound memory, and could have met the person they reported from, with no gap in the chain back to the Prophet (pbuh).

Matn criticism. The text should not contradict the Qur’an, well-established Hadiths or reason, and should fit what was known of the Prophet’s character and language.

On this basis Hadiths were graded, for example as sahih (sound), hasan (good) or da’if (weak). Fabricated reports were identified and rejected.

What are the six Sunni collections?

Collection	Compiler	Main features
Sahih al-Bukhari	Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari (d. 870)	Strictest conditions; arranged by subject; regarded by Sunnis as the most authentic book after the Qur’an
Sahih Muslim	Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 875)	Very strict; groups different chains of the same Hadith together
Sunan Abu Dawud	Abu Dawud al-Sijistani	Focus on Hadiths used in law
Jami’ al-Tirmidhi	Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi	Comments on the grading of Hadiths and the views of jurists
Sunan al-Nasa’i	Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb al-Nasa’i	Careful selection, mainly legal
Sunan Ibn Majah	Muhammad ibn Yazid ibn Majah	Includes some Hadiths not found in the other five

Al-Bukhari is reported to have examined a very large number of narrations and included only those meeting his conditions, praying before recording each one. Muslim’s collection is valued for its clear arrangement.

What are the four Shi’a collections?

Shi’a Muslims accept Hadiths transmitted through the Prophet’s family (the Ahl al-Bayt) and the Imams. Their four main books are al-Kafi by al-Kulayni; Man la yahduruhu al-faqih by Ibn Babawayh (al-Shaykh al-Saduq); and Tahdhib al-ahkam and al-Istibsar, both by al-Shaykh al-Tusi. Al-Kafi covers belief as well as law; the other three focus mainly on law.

How are the Hadiths used in Islamic law?

• The Qur’an is the first source of law.
• Hadiths and the Sunnah come second: they explain the Qur’an (for example, how to pray, which the Qur’an commands but does not describe in detail), add detail to its rulings (such as the amounts of zakat), and give guidance where the Qur’an is silent.
• Ijma’ (consensus of scholars) is used when the community’s scholars agree on a ruling, often based on Qur’an and Hadith.
• Qiyas (analogy) extends an existing ruling to a new case with the same cause, for example applying the ban on wine to other intoxicants.

Why are the Hadiths important in thought and action?

They show Muslims how to live out the Qur’an in daily life: worship, family life, trade, manners and character. They give the example of the Prophet (pbuh), whom the Qur’an calls a “beautiful pattern of conduct” (33.21), and they help scholars answer new questions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between isnad and matn? The isnad is the chain of narrators; the matn is the text of the Hadith.

Why did Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz order Hadiths to be written down? The generation that had heard them first-hand was passing away, and there was a danger that Hadiths would be lost or fabricated.

Why is al-Bukhari’s collection so respected? Because of his very strict conditions for accepting a chain of narrators and his careful arrangement by subject.

Related pages

• History and Importance of the Hadiths revision notes
• Major Teachings in the Hadiths study guide
• Paper 2 study guide

Source: Cambridge International, Cambridge IGCSE Islamiyat 0493 syllabus for examination in 2026 and 2027, Paper 2 Topic 2.