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This is the complete lecture note for ISS 206 Textual Studies of the Hadīth I. You can read it online below, open it in the full viewer, or download the PDF for offline study. It pairs with the course's video lectures, so you can read and watch together.
la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS
la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Course code: ISS 206 Course title: Textual Studies of the Hadīth I Course credit load: 2 Units (C; LH 30) List of Series: Series 1: Reading Islamic Texts in Source Language Series 2: Translation and Commentary of Selected Hadīths Series 3: Teachings of the Prophet in Daily Life Series 4: Analytical Approaches and Sound Judgment Series 5: Competence in Islamic Jurisprudence Series 1: Reading Islamic Texts in Source Language Parts and Sub-Parts 1.1 The Nature of Hadīth Texts and Source-Language Reading • 1.1.1 Meaning and structure of a Hadīth text • 1.1.2 Isnād, matn, and basic textual features • 1.1.3 Reading Arabic Hadīth with attention to meaning 1.2 Reading Selected Hadīths on Sincerity and Repentance • 1.2.1 The Hadīth on intentions • 1.2.2 The Hadīth on repentance • 1.2.3 Identifying key vocabulary and expressions
la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS 1.3 Reading Selected Hadīths on Perseverance and Truthfulness • 1.3.1 Perseverance and patience in Prophetic teaching • 1.3.2 Truthfulness and its moral significance • 1.3.3 Reading sentences, connectors, and repeated forms 1.4 Developing Independent Source-Language Reading Skills • 1.4.1 Using context to infer meaning • 1.4.2 Comparing Arabic wording with a reliable translation • 1.4.3 Building a personal Hadīth vocabulary Introduction The study of Hadīth requires more than knowing a translation. When you read a Prophetic report in its source language, you can observe its wording, sentence structure, recurring expressions and key terms more directly. This is especially important in a course that asks you to read Islamic texts in the source language, analyse them, and make sound judgments about their teachings. In this Series, the source language means the Arabic in which the selected Hadīth texts are presented. The aim of this Series is to develop your ability to approach selected Hadīth texts in Arabic carefully and confidently. You will learn how a Hadīth is organised, practise reading short Prophetic texts, identify important vocabulary and grammatical patterns, and use context and reliable translations as aids without treating translation as a substitute for the source text. We shall begin with the nature and structure of Hadīth texts and the distinction between isnād and matn. Next, we will practise reading selected texts on sincerity and repentance, focusing on the famous Hadīth of intentions and a Prophetic teaching on repentance. We will then read selected teachings on perseverance and truthfulness and examine useful language patterns. Finally, we will develop independent reading strategies, including contextual inference, careful comparison with translations and systematic vocabulary building.
la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Series Learning Outcomes Upon completing this Series, you should be able to: • SLO 1.1 identify the basic structural features of selected Hadīth texts and distinguish isnād from matn, • SLO 1.2 read and explain the meaning of selected Arabic Hadīth expressions on sincerity and repentance, • SLO 1.3 analyse selected Prophetic statements on perseverance and truthfulness using relevant vocabulary and sentence patterns, • SLO 1.4 apply independent source-language reading strategies when working with unfamiliar Hadīth texts.
la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS 1.1 The Nature of Hadīth Texts and Source-Language Reading 1.1.1 Meaning and structure of a Hadīth text A Hadīth is a report about the Prophet Muhammad, including what he said, did, approved or described. When you study a Hadīth text, you should separate the report itself from later explanations. A written Hadīth entry may contain a chain of transmitters followed by the wording of the report. Reading therefore begins with recognising what kind of material you are looking at. Fill in the blank: A Hadīth report may contain a chain of transmitters followed by the actual wording of the report, so the reader should distinguish the __________ from the matn. 1.1.2 Isnād, matn and basic textual features The isnād is the chain of transmitters through whom a report has been conveyed, while the matn is the substantive wording or content of the report. In a source-language exercise, you may first identify names and reporting formulas in the isnād and then focus on the vocabulary and sentence structure of the matn. This distinction helps you avoid confusing the documentation of transmission with the Prophetic teaching being studied. Fill in the blank: The chain of transmitters is called the __________, while the wording of the report is the matn. 1.1.3 Reading Arabic Hadīth with attention to meaning Arabic Hadīth texts should be read slowly and in meaningful units. Pay attention to familiar particles, verbs, nouns and pronouns, then ask how each word contributes to the sentence. You do not need to translate every word mechanically before understanding the main idea. Instead, combine vocabulary, grammar and context. Fill in the blank: When reading a short Arabic Hadīth, the reader should combine vocabulary, grammar and __________ to understand the main idea.
la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Pilot questions 1.1 What is a Hadīth report? What is the isnād? What is the matn? Why should you distinguish isnād from matn? Why is context important when reading a source-language text? 1.2 Reading Selected Hadīths on Sincerity and Repentance 1.2.1 The Hadīth on intentions A foundational Prophetic statement begins: « ِتاَّيِ نلاِب ُلاَمْعَلأا اَمَّنِإ» (Innamā al-aʿmālu bi-l-niyyāt), meaning that actions are judged in relation to intentions. The text teaches that intention gives moral direction to an action. As you read it, notice the particle innamā, the plural noun al-aʿmāl and the plural noun al-niyyāt. These recurring forms help you connect the Arabic wording with the teaching conveyed in translation. Fill in the blank: The Arabic expression « ِتاَّيِ نلاِب ُلاَمْعَلأا اَمَّنِإ» teaches that actions are judged in relation to their __________.
la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Illustration showing the Arabic wording of the Hadīth on intentions with selected vocabulary highlighted. Figure 1.1: Reading key expressions in the Hadīth on intentions 1.2.2 The Hadīth on repentance A well-known Prophetic teaching states that Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than a person who finds a lost mount in a desert. The report presents repentance as an act of returning to Allah and illustrates its value through a vivid comparison. When reading the Arabic, identify repeated terms such as al-tawbah (repentance) and notice how the sentence develops the comparison. Fill in the blank: In the selected Hadīth, returning to Allah after wrongdoing is described as __________. 1.2.3 Identifying key vocabulary and expressions Source-language reading becomes easier when you identify a small group of high-value words before attempting a full translation. For example, niyyah means intention, ʿamal means action,
la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS tawbah means repentance, and raHmah means mercy. You should record such terms with their context rather than memorising isolated dictionary meanings. Fill in the blank: A learner should record important Hadīth vocabulary together with its __________ rather than memorising isolated meanings. Pilot questions 1.2 What does Innamā al-aʿmālu bi-l-niyyāt teach? What is meant by niyyah? How is repentance presented in the selected teaching? Give two useful Arabic terms from the Part and their meanings. Why should vocabulary be studied in context? 1.3 Reading Selected Hadīths on Perseverance and Truthfulness 1.3.1 Perseverance and patience in Prophetic teaching Prophetic teachings repeatedly encourage patience and perseverance. One well-known report states that whoever strives to be patient, Allah gives that person patience. In source-language reading, a learner can identify the repeated root s-b-r associated with ṣabr and observe how the statement links effort with the development of patience. Fill in the blank: The Arabic term commonly used for patience and perseverance is __________. 1.3.2 Truthfulness and its moral significance The Prophet taught that truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. The wording encourages the learner to see truthfulness not merely as avoiding false statements
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