Hadith

Al-Nawawi (1233-1277) was a Shafi'i jurist and hadith scholar of Damascus who died at forty-four having written some of the most widely used books in Sunni Islam, including Riyad al-Salihin, the Forty Hadith, and the standard Shafi'i legal manual.

Anas ibn Malik (c. 612-712 CE) attended the Prophet Muhammad's household for about ten years from the age of roughly ten, and became one of the most prolific narrators of hadith in Islam. He settled in Basra, taught a generation of scholars, and was the last Companion to die there.

Hadith are the recorded sayings, actions, and approvals of Prophet Muhammad, serving as the second primary source of Islamic guidance after the Quran. These prophetic traditions provide detailed explanations of Islamic teachings and serve as practical examples for Muslim life and conduct.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855 CE) founded the Hanbali school of jurisprudence and compiled the Musnad, one of the largest hadith collections. His refusal to affirm the doctrine of the created Quran during the Mihna made him the symbol of scholarly independence from political power.

Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (767–820 CE) founded the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence and was the architect of Islamic legal theory. His Al-Risala established the first systematic framework for deriving law from its sources, resolving a crisis of conflicting legal opinions.

Malik ibn Anas (711–795 CE) was the Imam of Medina and founder of the Maliki school of jurisprudence. His Al-Muwatta was the first systematic work joining hadith with legal reasoning, and his idea of the living practice of Medina as a source of law was a distinctive contribution.

Husain Ahmad Madani (1879-1957) was an Indian scholar of hadith who taught in Medina, was interned by the British on Malta, and led Darul Uloom Deoband as Shaykh al-Hadith. His 1938 work Muttahida Qaumiyat aur Islam made him the foremost scholar opposing the demand for Pakistan.

The Sunnah represents the teachings, practices, and sayings of Prophet Muhammad, serving as the second primary source of Islamic guidance after the Quran. It provides practical examples of how to implement Quranic principles in daily life.