Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Hadith, Arabic Ḥadīth (“News” or “Story”), also spelled Hadīt , record of the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, revered and received as a major source of religious law and moral guidance, second only to the authority of the Qurʾān, the holy book of Islam. It might be defined as the biography of Muhammad perpetuated by the long memory of his community for their exemplification and obedience. The development of Hadith is a vital element during the first three centuries of Islamic history, and its study provides a broad index to the mind and ethos of Islam. Way of the origins The term Hadith derives from the Arabic root ḥdth meaning “to happen” and so “to tell a happening,” “to report,” “to have, or give, as news,” or “to speak of.” It means tradition seen as narrative and record. From Hadith comes the Sunnah (literally, a “well-trodden path”—i.e., taken as precedent and authority or dir...