Hadith as Sunna, but it is not necessary that a Sunna would have a supporting hadith sanctioning it. Some sources (Khaled Abou El Fadl) limit hadith to verbal reports, with the deeds of Muhammad and reports about his companions being part of the "Sunnah", but not hadith. Joseph Schacht quotes a Hadith by Muhammad that is used "to justify reference" in Islamic law to companions of Muhammad as religious authorities — "My companions are like lodestars." According to Schacht, (and other scholars) in the very first generations after the death of Muhammad, use of hadith from "Sahabah" ("companions" of Muhammad) and
Introduction to the Science of Hadith clarify that term and not necessarily establish it. He also distinguished his book by responding to the positions of other scholars in a detailed manner. Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ mentioned in his introduction to the "Introduction" 65 chapters, each specific to a particular type or term of hadith terminology before saying that an even larger number was conceivable. He began by discussing "ṣaḥīḥ" (authentic) as the first category, and then "ḥasan" (good) as the second, "ḍa`īf" (weak) the third, "musnad" (supported) the fourth and so on. Ibn Jamāʻah, in his abridgement, divided these terms into four different categories according to subject (and