hadith

noun, often capitalized ha·dith \ hə-ˈdēth \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of hadith

plural hadith or hadiths

1 : a narrative record of the sayings or customs of Muhammad and his companions

2 : the collective body of traditions relating to Muhammad and his companions

Recent Examples of hadith from the Web

What persists is belief in the holy Quran and the hadiths adjacent to it, and that adherence to these mores and traditions will aid in entering Jannah in the afterlife.

— shamira ibrahim, Daily Intelligencer, "The Death and Afterlife of Stephon Clark," 2 Apr. 2018
Because the Quran gives little information about the time and place of its origin, much of the evidence for early Islam has traditionally been drawn from sources like the hadith, the records of the Prophet Muhammad’s words and deeds.

— christopher carroll, WSJ, "The Crescent Rising," 4 Oct. 2017
But while the first text of the Quran was thought to have been compiled not long after the Prophet’s death, the hadith weren’t collected and codified until about two centuries later.

— christopher carroll, WSJ, "The Crescent Rising," 4 Oct. 2017
The practice is outlined in the hadiths, or sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, which are regarded as less authoritative than the Quran but are influential in shaping Islamic doctrine.

— jeffrey gettleman and suhasini raj, New York Times, "India’s Supreme Court Strikes Down ‘Instant Divorce’ for Muslims," 22 Aug. 2017
Stray cats are a relatively common sight in cities like Jiddah, and according to some hadiths (accounts of the prophet Muhammad’s teachings), the prophet Muhammad prohibited the killing of cats and took in a stray cat himself.

— adam taylor, Washington Post, "Saudi man arrested for allegedly filming himself killing cats, local media reports," 4 Aug. 2017
The practice is outlined in the hadiths, or sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, which are regarded as less authoritative than the Quran but still influential in shaping Islamic doctrine.

— geeta anand, New York Times, "Muslim Women in India Challenge ‘Instant Divorce’ Law," 28 May 2017
Historically, Muslims were expected to be learned in Arabic, the Qur’an, hadith, and jurisprudence to be taken seriously.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "A Short History of U.S. Presidents Explaining Islam to Muslims," 21 May 2017
Did Ibn Hajar ever reconsider the meaning of a particular hadith, explaining it one way in his 40s and another way in his 70s?

— joel blecher, The Atlantic, "A Newly Discovered Manuscript and Its Lesson on Islam," 28 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hadith.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.