The significance and purpose of the Sunnah and Hadith

The refers to the sayings and practices of the and is the second source of knowledge for Muslims.

Muhammad is considered to be a perfect model. This can be seen at prayer time or - whilst the explains when and how one should pray, Muslims use the example of Muhammad to know what words and movements to use during prayer.

Image caption,
Muslim men at prayer

There are two types of :

  • The sacred - these are sacred sayings in which Muhammad quotes words from Allah which are not included in the Qur’an.
  • The prophetic - these are wise sayings which the Prophet himself gave.

They do not have the same authority as the Qur’an as they are not direct revelation from Allah, but are inspired sayings.