Criticism of Hadith Criticism of Hadith The criticism of "Hadith" refers to the critique directed towards collections of "ahadith", i.e. the collections of reports of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Islamic prophet Muhammad on any matter. The criticism revolves primarily around the authenticity of "hadith" reports and whether they are attributable to Muhammad, as well as theological and philosophical grounds as to whether the "hadith" can provide rulings on legal and religious matters when the Quran has already declared itself "complete", "clear", "fully detailed" and "perfected". Because of Quranic injunctions to Muslims to follow the instructions of and to
Hadith "the documentation" of the Sunnah. Another source (Joseph A. Islam) distinguishes between the two saying: Whereas the 'Hadith' is an oral communication that is allegedly derived from the Prophet or his teachings, the 'Sunna' (quite literally: mode of life, behaviour or example) signifies the prevailing customs of a particular community or people. ... A 'Sunna' is a practice which has been passed on by a community from generation to generation en masse, whereas the Ahadith are reports collected by later compilers often centuries removed from the source. ... A practice which is contained within the Hadith may well be regarded