What is hadith?
A hadith (plural ahadith) is a report of what the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, did or approved. Together with the Qur'an, the hadith make up the Sunnah — the second source of Islamic belief, worship and law. The Qur'an commands prayer, fasting and zakat; the hadith show how the Prophet ﷺ carried them out.
Every hadith has two parts: the isnad, the chain of narrators through whom the report was passed down, and the matn, the text of the report itself. Hadith scholars examined each chain narrator by narrator, and that work is what allows a hadith to be graded as authentic or weak.
The six major books of hadith (Kutub al-Sittah)
Six collections compiled in the 3rd century AH became the standard references of Sunni Islam:
- Sahih al-Bukhari — by Imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH). Regarded as the most authentic book after the Qur'an. 8,934 hadith.
- Sahih Muslim — by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 261 AH), the second of the two Sahihs, known for gathering the different chains of a hadith in one place. 7,596 hadith.
- Sunan Abu Dawud — by Imam Abu Dawud al-Sijistani (d. 275 AH), focused on the hadith of legal rulings. 5,278 hadith.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi — by Imam Muhammad ibn 'Isa al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH), who comments on the grade of most hadith and the views of the jurists. 4,444 hadith.
- Sunan an-Nasai — by Imam Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb al-Nasa'i (d. 303 AH), known for his strict standards of narrator criticism. 5,778 hadith.
- Sunan Ibn Majah — by Imam Muhammad ibn Yazid ibn Majah (d. 273 AH), the sixth of the six books. 4,470 hadith.
Other major hadith collections
Beyond the six books, this library includes the large early collections that preserve hadith not found in them: Musnad Ahmad by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH), arranged by Companion; Muwatta Malik by Imam Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH), one of the earliest surviving books of hadith and fiqh; Sunan ad-Darimi; Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, rich in the rulings of the Companions and Successors; Sunan ad-Daraqutni; and as-Sunan al-Kubra of Imam al-Bayhaqi (d. 458 AH), one of the largest collections of the hadith of legal rulings (22,236 hadith). Majma' al-Zawa'id by Hafiz Nur al-Din al-Haythami (d. 807 AH) gathers the hadith of Musnad Ahmad, Abu Ya'la, al-Bazzar and the three Mu'jams of al-Tabarani that are not found in the six books, with al-Haythami's verdict on each chain.
Three collections set out to record only authentic hadith: Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, Sahih Ibn Hibban and Mustadrak al-Hakim (al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn), in which Imam al-Hakim (d. 405 AH) gathered hadith he judged to meet the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim but which they did not record. Its English edition includes al-Hakim's own verdicts and a detailed commentary on each report.
Hadith anthologies and topical books
For everyday reading, several well-known anthologies bring the most important hadith together by topic: Mishkat al-Masabih, Bulugh al-Maram (hadith of legal rulings), Al-Adab al-Mufrad and Sahih al-Adab al-Mufrad (manners and character), Shamail Tirmidhi (the appearance and character of the Prophet ﷺ), Al-Lu'lu' wal-Marjan (hadith agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim) and Hisnul Muslim (daily supplications). Shaykh al-Albani's Silsilah as-Sahihah and Sahih al-Jami al-Saghir collect thousands of hadith he graded authentic.
How hadith are graded
Each hadith page shows its grading and takhrij (where else it is recorded), so you can see at a glance how reliable a report is:
- Sahih (authentic) — a continuous chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden defects and contradiction.
- Hasan (good) — meets the same conditions with narrators of slightly lesser precision; accepted as evidence.
- Da'if (weak) — a break in the chain or a weak narrator; not used to establish rulings.
- Mawdu' (fabricated) — a report falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ.
How to read hadith on Tohed
Each book is divided into books (kitab) and chapters (bab), so you can read a whole topic such as prayer, fasting or good manners from start to finish. Every hadith page gives the English translation, the full Arabic text, its reference number, grading and, for many books, commentary explaining the hadith. Use the search box to find a hadith by keyword, or enter a book and hadith number to jump straight to it. An Urdu translation of every collection is available on tohed.com.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most authentic books of hadith?
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, together called the Sahihayn ("the two Sahihs"), are regarded by Muslim scholars as the most authentic books after the Qur'an. Every hadith in them is accepted as authentic.
What are the six major books of hadith (Kutub al-Sittah)?
Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud, Jami at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasai and Sunan Ibn Majah. All six are available here in English with the Arabic text.
What is the difference between a sahih, hasan and da'if hadith?
A sahih (authentic) hadith has an unbroken chain of upright, precise narrators and no hidden defect. A hasan (good) hadith meets the same conditions with narrators of slightly lesser precision and is also accepted as evidence. A da'if (weak) hadith fails one or more conditions and is not used to establish rulings.
Can I search hadith by keyword in English?
Yes. Use the search box above to find hadith by any English word or phrase across all 43 collections, or jump directly to a hadith by book and number.
Is there an Urdu translation as well?
Yes. Every collection here also has an Urdu translation on tohed.com, and hadith pages link to their Urdu version.
Is it free to read?
Yes. All 43 collections, with their English translation, Arabic text and grading, are free to read without an account.
