Customer Reviews

Hadith Literature: Its Origin, Development & Special Features (Islamic Texts Society)

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This is my favorite book on the science of hadith, and is a great companion to books by Mustafa Azami. Edited by T.J. Winter, it even includes an appendix on women scholars. Sure it doesn't cover Shia matters, but they a small minority sect outside the centers of the faith. In any case, there's hardly anything in English that covers matter in more depth from a Muslim perspective.

The book is mainly about the development of Hadith. Author also tries to prove that the science of Hadith has started before or at least with the Islam and not like some Orientalists think after 2-300 years of Islam. Author explains the classifications of the Hadiths, Isnads and Hadith writers, their life, how they were teaching and spreading. A lot of references are given to each claim so I suppose the descriptions given are real and not fantasy. Each major Hadith writer is briefly described with littel autobiography. Overall it is more like Historical text rather than techinal or philosophical explanations. There is no mention of hadits from Shia sources so it is stricly Sunni origin. Shia sources are as though non-existent so from this perspectiv I did not find it very objective. There is a nice Appendix at the end as a response to Goldziher or Schacht or people in their opinion.