The History of the Prophetic Sunnah

Course Name: The History of the Prophetic Sunnah

Course Teacher: Shaikh Ahrar Mohammed Shareef (Phd Research Scholar, and Lecturer of Hadith and its Sciences at the College of Hadith and Islamic Studies, Islamic University of Madinah)

Course Book: Tarikhus-Sunnah (The History of the Prophetic Sunnah), published by: Ihsan Center for Prophets Sunnah Studies in Madinah (developed in accordance with the syllabus of this course for the College of Hadith and Islamic Studies, Islamic University of Madinah)

Number of Recorded Video Lectures: 32

Total Number of Hours: 30 hours

Method of Assessment: One x 2-hour end-of-course self-assessment examination

Prerequisites: None

General Description of the Course: The course consists of: introductory precepts regarding the history of the Prophetic Sunnah, its history during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ, the era of the four rightly-guided caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali), and the eras after them until the end of the third century after the migration of the Prophet ﷺ from Makkah to Madinah (Hijrah), then its history from the beginning of the fourth century until our present times, along with comprehension of the distinguishing features of each era and the books of Hadith that were authored in them in summary. 

Main Objective of the Course: Introduction to the meaning of the history of the Prophetic Sunnah, its importance, and emergence of authorship in its subject matter, and getting acquainted with the progressive stages of documenting the Prophetic Sunnah in written form and the distinguishing features of each stage.

Learning Outcomes of the Course: Upon successful completion of this course a student will be able to:

1. Clarify the meaning of the history of the Prophetic Sunnah, its importance, and reference the books authored in its subject matter.
2. Explain the attention provided to the Prophetic Sunnah by the Sahabah, Tabieen, and those after them in various eras.
3. Discuss the ruling of writing the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in light of the statements of the scholars regarding this issue.
4. Identify the most important types of literature in Hadith and its sciences in every era.
5. Clarify the most important disciplines and fields that can serve the Prophetic Sunnah.

Scope and Syllabus: Topics covered on the syllabus may include, but are not limited to:

Firstly: Introductory precepts regarding the history of the Prophetic Sunnah:

1. Meaning of the history of the Prophetic Sunnah.
2. Importance of possessing knowledge regarding the history of the Prophetic Sunnah.
3. Emergence of authorship in the subject of the history of the Prophetic Sunnah, and the most important books in it.
4. Categories of the Prophetic Sunnah and its relation to the Quran, and the various types of rulings it has come with.

Secondly: The Prophetic Sunnah during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ, and the era of the rightly-guided caliphs:

1. Guidance of the Prophet ﷺ in teaching.
2. The Ahadith which have come in prohibition of writing the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and those which have come in permissibility of doing so, and the statements of the scholars regarding them.
3. Methodology of the Sahabah and the rightly-guided caliphs in orally narrating Ahadith, and their stance regarding documenting it in written form.
4. Compilation of the Prophetic Sunnah in written form by the Sahabah during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ and after his death, and examples of their Hadith scrolls, and where they are most likely to be found in the Hadith books of al-Musannafaat and al-Jawami after that.

Thirdly: The Prophetic Sunnah after the era of the rightly-guided caliphs until the end of the third century after the Hijrah:

1. Traveling in search of Hadith: its origins, importance, and benefits, and examples of the travels of the Sahabah, Tabieen, and those who came after them from the scholars of Hadith.
2. Diligence of the Tabieen in learning and memorizing the Prophetic Sunnah.
3. Means utilized by the Tabieen and those after them in precisely preserving Ahadith, and their stance regarding narrating Ahadith in accordance to the meaning of the speech Messenger of Allah ﷺ but with a different wording.
4. Stance of the Tabieen and those after them regarding documenting the Prophetic Sunnah in written form, and examples of their Hadith scrolls, and where they are most likely to be found in the Hadith books of al-Musannafaat and al-Jawami after that.
5. Effect of political disputes, religious differences, and social changes upon the narration of Hadith.
6. Efforts exerted by the scholars of Hadith in safeguarding the Prophetic Sunnah from the errors and mistakes of the narrators of Hadith and the lies of the fabricators.
7. Efforts exerted in compilation of the Prophetic Sunnah, the foremost of them being the royal order of the Umayyad caliph Umar bin Abdul-Aziz.
8. Various stages of compilation of the Prophetic Sunnah in written form and the distinguishing features of each stage, along with emergence of authorship by way of gathering similar subject matters and topics together under organized chapters, and the various types of Hadith literature that appeared during this time period, such as: al-Musannafaat, al-Muwattaat, al-Masanid, as-Sihah, al-Jawami, and as-Sunan, the differences between them and a mention of the most famous books in each type.

Fourthly: The Prophetic Sunnah from the beginning of the fourth century until our present times:

1. Changes that influenced the learning of Hadith and its narration.
2. Acquaintance with the various types of literature that appeared during this time period in Hadith and its sciences, such as: al-Mustakhrajaat, al-Maajim, al-Mustadrakaat, al-Atraf, al-Fawaid, al-Amali, al-Ajza al-Hadhitiyah, az-Zawaid, al-Abwab al-Khassah such as: at-Targhib wat-Tarhib, and ash-Shuruh al-Hadhitiyah, the differences between them, in addition to combining various Hadith books together into one book, summarizing them, reorganizing them, and literature in the science of Hadith (Mustalahul-Hadith) and the narrators of Hadith, along with a mention of the most famous books in each type.
3. Acquaintance with the central schools of Hadith studies, along with their examples and most famous scholars.
4. Efforts exerted in serving the Prophetic Sunnah by official and non-official organizations and individuals in contemporary times, along with a mention of their most famous services.
5. The most important software programs, websites and apps that serve the Prophetic Sunnah, their benefits, and guidelines for their proper usage.