Is the Hadith a very well respected piece of theology in the Muslim world?

[joshcryer]

There is some stuff in it attributed directly to Muhammad that I wonder about.

[dave_p]

1. Yes

It's considered secondary only to the Quran, though there are Quran-only schools of Muslim interpretation.

Some of the sayings have been questioned within Islam too. Hadith are founded on later reports, so they're only as reliable as the source. Sunni and Shia Muslims differ over which collections they accept.

[joshcryer]

2. I've read the whole Quran, but not the Hadith (yet).

I didn't find anything particularly 'bad' in the Quran (no worse than the Old Testament Bible).

[WritingIsMyReligion]

3. Second only to the Qu'ran, I do believe.

Sunni and Shi'a sects place varying amounts of importance on it, of course, and each sect has different books that they honor.

The Hadith are collected sayings of Muhammad and stories of his life, I think, which Islamic courts frequently refer to when determining how a practice or individual has honored and/or violated the Sunnah, or traditional Islamic way of life/code of conduct. Most Muslims see the Hadith as Muhammad's words only, while the Qu'ran is made of the words of Allah Himself as transmitted, allegedly verbatim, to Muhammad.

[Igel]

4. Yes. And some ahadith are more reliable than others.

Oddly it seems to make no difference that some of their genealogies added people closer and closer to Muhammed as time went on, before being definition codified, that is.

Some are considered unreliable. Some are gold. The estimation varies slightly by person and school. And I wouldn't call them theology. Tales, more like. I believe 'h-d-th' means, among other things, to 'happen' or 'recount'.

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. Hadith is roughly similar to the Talmud

Definitely not an exact comparison, but close enough. As such, it has a major impact on how the Quran is interpreted and applied.

Basically, Hadith is the oral tradition (latter written down) of how Muhammad interpreted and applied various religious and sometimes civil decisions. To be considered valid, a hadith must be traceable through a chain of "so-and-so heard from this person, who heard it from that person, who was present when the Prophet issued this ruling." There are several different schools of religious "common law," each with its own collection of Hadith (and considerable overlap between the different schools.)

The Wikipedia seems to have a fairly good article: Hadith

[onager]

6. Often used to justify whatever you want to do...

Just like the Xian Bible and its countless commentaries.

Here's a funny/horrifying example from Dr. Alaa al-Aswany's novel The Yacoubian Building. Yes, I'm quoting from a work of fiction, but a work that definitely depicts real slices of contemporary Egyptian life.

The setting: Souad is the secret "second wife" of wealthy businessman Hagg Azzam. (In Egypt, "Hagg" is the honorific title for men who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca.)

Souad also has a big problem. In violation of her secret marriage contract, she is pregnant and wants to have the baby. The Hagg rounds up a respected religious leader, Sheikh El Samman, to talk to her:

"Of course," (Souad says to the Sheikh) "The Hagg will have told you about the problem."

"May Our Lord never bring problems! Listen, my daughter, you're a Muslim and follow God's Law, and Our Lord, Glorious and Almighty, has commanded the wife to obey her husband in all matters of this world.

The Chosen One...has even said, in a sound hadith, 'Were any of God's creatures permitted to prostrate itself to another of His creatures, I would have commanded the wife to prostrate herself to the husband.' The Messenger has spoken truly!"

(Souad asks)..."So you agree that I should abort myself?"

"God forbid. Of course abortion is a sin! However, some trustworthy jurisprudential opinions affirm that termination of the pregnancy during the first two months is not abortion because the soul enters the fetus at the beginning of the third month."

"Where does it say so?"

"In authenticated legal opinions delivered by the great scholars of religion."

Souad laughed sarcastically and said bitterly, "Those must have been American sheikhs..."

(Excuse me...:rofl:)

The sheikh interrupted in a conciliatory tone, saying, "God protect us from His anger! Souad, my daughter, don't let your temper get the better of you.

I'm not discussing the matter on the basis of own opinion, God forbid. I'm simply passing on to you a well-regarded legal point of view. Some reliable jurisprudents have affirmed that aborting the fetus before the third month should not be considered murder, if there are extenuating circumstances..."

Souad rose and shouted, waving her arms, "What reverend sheikh? Everything's clear now. You've paid him off to say a couple of stupid things. Abortion's okay in the first two months? Shame on you, Sheikh! How can you sleep at night?"

..."You filthy bitch!" shouted Hagg Azzam and he slapped her on her face...