Introduction to the Science of Hadith Introduction to the Science of Hadith (Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ's) Introduction to the Science of Hadith () is a 13th-century book written by `Abd al-Raḥmān ibn `Uthmān al-Shahrazūrī, better known as Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ, which describes the Islamic discipline of the science of hadith, its terminology and the principals of biographical evaluation. A hadith is a recorded statement, action or approval of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which serves as the second source of legislature in Islamic law. The science of hadith that this work describes contains the principles with which a hadith specialist evaluates the authenticity of individual narrations. "The Introduction" comprises 65
Hadith terminology "musnad" ( meaning "supported") "hadith" as: A "musnad hadith" should not be confused with the type of "hadith" collection similarly termed "musannaf", which is arranged according to the name of the companion narrating each "hadith". For example, a "musnad" might begin by listing a number of the "hadith", complete with their respective "sanads", of Abu Bakr, and then listing a number of "hadith" from Umar, and then Uthman ibn Affan and so on. Individual compilers of this type of collection may vary in their method of arranging those Companions whose "hadith" they were collecting. An example of this type of