Cambridge O Level Islamiyat: History and Importance of the Hadiths — Revision Notes (2058)

These notes cover Paper 2 Question 2 of Cambridge O Level Islamiyat 2058, The History and Importance of the Hadiths, a compulsory 14-mark question. They are organised around the questions examiners typically ask: how the Hadiths were preserved and compiled, how scholars judged them, which collections matter and why, and how Hadiths work with the Qur’an, ijma’ and qiyas.

Syllabus coverage

2058 Paper 2, Topic 2 (2026–2027 syllabus): the history of compilation; the earliest collections; musnad and musannaf works and their compilers; isnad and matn methods; the six Sunni and four Shi’a collections; major themes; use in legal thinking with the Qur’an, ijma’ and qiyas; significance in thought and action.

How were Hadiths preserved in the Prophet’s (pbuh) lifetime?

• Companions memorised his words, which suited a culture with a strong oral tradition.
• They watched and copied his actions, for example in prayer and hajj.
• Some, such as Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, wrote notes with permission.
• Writing was at first limited, according to some reports so that Hadith would not be confused with the Qur’an.

What happened after his death?

• Companions spread across the growing state and taught in new centres.
• Their students, the tabi’un, travelled to gather Hadiths.
• Small written collections (sahifas) circulated, such as that of Hammam ibn Munabbih from Abu Hurayra.
• Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (717–720) ordered official collection; al-Zuhri took part.

What were musannaf and musnad collections?

	Musannaf	Musnad
Arranged by	Subject	Companion who narrated
Best for	Finding rulings on a topic	Gathering one companion’s narrations
Example	Imam Malik’s al-Muwatta	Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Musnad

How did scholars test reliability?

Isnad (chain): each narrator must be of sound character and practice, have a reliable memory, and have been able to meet the narrator before; the chain must be unbroken to the Prophet (pbuh). Biographical study of narrators was developed for this.

Matn (text): must agree with the Qur’an and established Sunnah, be reasonable and sound like the Prophet’s way of speaking.

Grades: sahih (sound), hasan (good), da’if (weak), mawdu’ (fabricated).

Which collections should you know?

Six Sunni books: Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim; Sunan Abu Dawud; Jami’ al-Tirmidhi; Sunan al-Nasa’i; Sunan Ibn Majah.

• Al-Bukhari (d. 870): travelled widely, set the strictest conditions, arranged by subject; for Sunnis the most authentic book after the Qur’an.
• Muslim (d. 875): strict conditions; places all versions of a Hadith together, making comparison easy.
• The four Sunan: concentrate on Hadiths used for law; al-Tirmidhi often comments on grading.

Four Shi’a books: al-Kafi (al-Kulayni); Man la yahduruhu al-faqih (Ibn Babawayh); Tahdhib al-ahkam and al-Istibsar (al-Tusi). They give weight to narrations through the Prophet’s family and the Imams.

How do Hadiths relate to the other sources of law?

1. Qur’an — the primary source.
2. Sunnah/Hadith — explains and details the Qur’an; fills gaps.
3. Ijma’ — consensus of qualified scholars, based on the first two.
4. Qiyas — analogy, applying an existing ruling to a new case with the same reason behind it.

Example chain: the Qur’an forbids wine; Hadiths state that every intoxicant is forbidden; scholars apply this by qiyas to modern drugs.

Why are Hadiths important to Muslims?

• They show how to practise the Pillars in detail.
• They model the Prophet’s character, the “beautiful example” of Qur’an 33.21.
• They guide manners, family life, business and community relations.
• They help scholars respond to new questions.

Key terms at a glance

Term	Meaning
Hadith	Report of the Prophet’s (pbuh) words, actions or approval
Sunnah	His practice and way of life
Isnad / matn	Chain of narrators / text
Tabi’un	The generation after the companions
Sahifa	Early written notebook of Hadiths
Ilm al-rijal	Study of narrators’ lives and reliability
Ijma’ / qiyas	Consensus / analogy

Worked example

Question: Describe the methods scholars used to decide whether a Hadith was reliable. [10]

Answer plan:

1. Explain isnad and matn as the two parts of a Hadith.
2. Isnad tests: character, memory, meeting between narrators, continuous chain; biographical dictionaries.
3. Matn tests: agreement with Qur’an and Sunnah, reason, language.
4. The grading that resulted: sahih, hasan, da’if, mawdu’.
5. Example: al-Bukhari’s strict condition that narrators had actually met, not merely lived at the same time.

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Writing only about al-Bukhari. Questions may ask for several compilers or for Shi’a collections.
• Confusing ijma’ with qiyas. Ijma’ is agreement; qiyas is comparison.
• Ignoring early collections. Credit is available for sahifas and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz’s order.
• Description without evaluation. Part (b) usually asks why Hadiths are important; give reasons.

How is this topic examined?

In Cambridge O Level 2058 Paper 2 (1 hour 30 minutes, 50 marks), the history and importance of the Hadiths is examined by Question 2, which is compulsory: part (a) is worth 10 marks and part (b) 4 marks. Each answer has a knowledge part and a shorter part asking for understanding or significance, so revise every point with a reason why it matters to Muslims, not just the facts.

Frequently asked questions

What does “Sihah Sitta” mean? “The six sound books”, the name for the six main Sunni collections.

Did Shi’a and Sunni scholars use the same methods? Both examined chains and texts, but Shi’a scholars placed particular weight on transmission through the Prophet’s family and the Imams.

Related pages

• Paper 2 study guide
• Paper 2 revision notes
• Major Teachings in the Hadiths revision notes

Source: Cambridge International, Cambridge O Level Islamiyat 2058 syllabus for examination in 2026 and 2027, Paper 2 Topic 2.