INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCES OF HADITH The Muslims in general believe that the Qur'an has been preserved intact and pure by Allah Himself. But what is often forgotten by many is that this preservation necessarily includes the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (S), the practical example of the implementation of the Qur'an. Hadith is Sunnah in record. How the immense wealth of Hadith literature has been left to us by the Muhaddiths (scholars of Hadith) is an extremely wide, complex study. We publish this short treatise on "the science of Hadith" by the learned Suhaib Hasan with English readers in mind. It is part of our scheme to introduce various aspects of Islam to English readers. May Allah accept it as a good work. Contents •Publisher's Note •Foreword •SECTION A: INTRODUCTION •A brief history of Mustalah al-Hadith •Mustalah al-Hadith (the Classification of Hadith) •Rijal al-Hadith (the study of the reporters of Hadith) •SECTION B: THE CLASSIFICATION OF HADITH •According to the reference to a particular authority •According to the links in the isnad •According to the number of reporters in each stage of the isnad •According to the manner in which the Hadith is reported •According to the nature of the text and isnad •According to a hidden defect found in the isnad or text of a Hadith •According to the reliability and memory of the reporters •SECTION C: FURTHER BRANCHES OF MUSTALAH AND RIJAL •APPENDIX: Verdicts on the Ahadith mentioned in the Foreword