Hadith

Hadith by topic

154 authentic hadith on 12 topics, each in Arabic with a plain English rendering, the narrator, the collection and number, and the grading. Each topic also lists the weak sayings that are often shared.

Hadith about salah (prayer)

13 hadith. Prayer as a pillar of Islam, the first deed judged, the river that washes sins, and praying on time.

Hadith about charity (sadaqah)

14 hadith. Charity never decreases wealth, half a date shields from the Fire, and every good deed is charity.

Hadith about seeking knowledge

13 hadith. A path to Paradise, understanding of the religion, the scholars as heirs of the prophets, and knowledge that benefits.

Hadith about lying and truthfulness

12 hadith. Truth leads to Paradise and lies to the Fire, the signs of a hypocrite, and no lying even as a joke.

Hadith about tahajjud (the night prayer)

12 hadith. Allah descends in the last third of the night, the best prayer after the obligatory ones, and waking your spouse.

Hadith about kindness and mercy

12 hadith. Allah is kind and loves kindness, the merciful are shown mercy, and the man who gave water to a thirsty dog.

Hadith about patience (sabr)

13 hadith. The believer's affair is all good, patience at the first blow, and no gift is better than patience.

Hadith about cleanliness and purity

14 hadith. Purity is half of faith, the miswak, wudu that washes sins away, and the five acts of the fitrah.

Hadith about intention (niyyah)

12 hadith. Actions are judged by intentions, Allah looks at hearts, and the reward for a good deed you only intended.

Hadith about marriage (nikah)

14 hadith. O young people, marry; choose for religion; the best of you are best to their families; and the wali.

Hadith about parents and mothers

13 hadith. Your mother, your mother, your mother; Paradise under her feet; and the pleasure of the Lord in the pleasure of the parent.

Hadith about neighbours

12 hadith. Jibril kept advising about the neighbour, do not harm your neighbour, and share your cooking with them.

Guide

How to read a hadith, and its grading

A hadith is a report of what the Prophet ﷺ said, did or approved. Each one has two parts: the chain of narrators (isnad), the people who passed it on from one to the next, and the text (matn). On these pages we show the text and name the Companion who narrated it, then the books that record it.

What the reference means

"Sahih al-Bukhari 528" is hadith number 528 in al-Bukhari's collection, in the numbering used by Fath al-Bari and sunnah.com. Sahih Muslim is numbered as in Muhammad Fuad Abd al-Baqi's edition, which is also what sunnah.com shows. When a hadith is in both, it is called agreed upon (muttafaq alayh), the strongest level of authenticity. The other four of the six books are the Sunan of Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah.

What the grades mean

  • Sahih (sound): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, with no hidden flaw and no contradiction of stronger reports. Every hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim is sahih.
  • Hasan (good): like sahih, but one narrator's precision is a little lower. It is still used as evidence.
  • Da'if (weak): a gap in the chain or a weak narrator. It is not quoted as the Prophet's ﷺ words without saying it is weak. Many scholars allow mentioning a mildly weak hadith for encouraging good deeds, if it is not very weak, does not set a new practice, and is not believed to be certain.
  • Mawdu' (fabricated): invented and falsely attributed. It is not allowed to pass it on except to warn about it.

For the four Sunan we show al-Albani's grading, as most English readers will meet it, and note where other critics differ. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever deliberately tells a lie about me, let him take his seat in the Fire" (Sahih al-Bukhari 108). That is why every topic ends with the weak sayings people share.

About the translations

The English on these pages is our own plain rendering of the Arabic, written to be read aloud easily. It is not a copy of any published translation. Words in brackets give the setting of the hadith. Each hadith links to its own place on the page, so you can share a single one.

For the Quran by theme, see Quran verses by topic. For Ramadan, see hadith about Ramadan, and for short quotes with images, Islamic quotes.

Questions

Good to know

What is the difference between hadith and sunnah?

A hadith is a single report about the Prophet ﷺ. The Sunnah is his way as a whole, known through the hadith. See what is the Sunnah.

Are all hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari authentic?

Yes. The scholars of the Ummah accepted the connected hadith of al-Bukhari and Muslim as sahih. A few words in them were discussed by the critics, but not the hadith on these pages.

Why do some sites give different hadith numbers?

Different editions number the books differently, especially Sahih Muslim and the Muwatta. We use the numbering on sunnah.com: Fath al-Bari for al-Bukhari and Abd al-Baqi for Muslim.

Can I share a weak hadith?

Only if you say it is weak. Many scholars allow mentioning a mildly weak hadith to encourage good deeds, but it should never be presented as the Prophet's ﷺ certain words, and fabricated ones should not be shared at all.