Hadith of position meaning "report", "account" or "narrative". Hadith are second only to the Quran in developing Islamic jurisprudence, and regarded as important tools for understanding the Quran and commentaries ("tafsir") on it. The hadith literature is based on spoken reports that were in circulation in society after the death of Muhammad. Unlike the Quran itself, which was compiled under the official direction of the early Islamic State in Medina, the hadith reports were not compiled by a central authority. Hadith were evaluated and gathered into large collections during the 8th and 9th centuries, generations after the death of Muhammad, after the end
Introduction to the Science of Hadith authored an abridgement: The following have set "Introduction" to verse, adding some content in the process: The numerous editions of the "Introduction" in its original Arabic include two of the more reliable: The "Introduction" has been translated into English and published as "An Introduction to the Science of Hadith", by Eerik Dickinson, as part of the Great Books of Islamic Civilization series. The translator has provided a biography of Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ derived from numerous sources, in addition to copious footnotes throughout. It is published by Garnet Publishing Limited, Reading, 2006, 356 pgs. Introduction to the Science of Hadith (Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ's)