1. **Qur’an Source:**
Surah Al-Hashr, Surah 59, Ayah 7
**Arabic:**
وَمَا آتَاكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَىٰكُمْ عَنْهُ فَٱنتَهُوا۟ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
**Translation:**
Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he forbids you from, leave it. And fear Allah. Allah is severe in punishment.
**Simple Meaning:**
This ayah tells us to follow the Prophet ﷺ.
Hadith are the words and actions that help us know his Sunnah.
2. **Hadith Source:**
Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1, Sahih
**Hadith Meaning:**
إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ
Actions are only by intentions.
**Simple Explanation:**
This shows us that a hadith can be very short, but it can teach a very big lesson.
3. **Different types of hadith**
**A. By the number of narrators**
- **Mutawatir**: A hadith told by so many people that it is almost impossible for them all to agree on a lie.
**Example:** Many people reported how to pray.
**Why strong:** Very strong.
- **Ahad**: A hadith not narrated by so many people in every level.
**Example:** One or a few companions may narrate it.
**Why strong:** It can still be very good if the chain is strong.
**B. By strength**
- **Sahih**: Strong and accepted.
**Example:** Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim have many sahih hadith.
**Strongest kind:** Yes, this is the strongest type.
- **Hasan**: Good, but a little less strong than sahih.
**Example:** A hadith with trustworthy narrators, but not as perfect as sahih.
- **Da‘if**: Weak.
**Example:** A narrator may be weak or the chain may have a problem.
**Use:** Not strong proof by itself.
- **Maudu‘**: Made up or fake.
**Example:** A lie wrongly called a hadith.
**Use:** Must not be used as proof.
**C. By how many chains there are**
- **Muttasil**: The chain is connected.
**Example:** Each narrator heard it from the one before.
- **Munqati‘**: The chain has a break.
**Example:** One narrator is missing.
- **Mursal**: A tabi‘i says, “The Prophet ﷺ said,” but does not name the companion.
**Example:** A student of a companion skips the companion.
**D. By where it comes from**
- **Marfu‘**: Goes back to the Prophet ﷺ.
**Example:** “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said...”
- **Mawquf**: Stopped at a companion.
**Example:** A companion’s own saying.
- **Maqtu‘**: From a tabi‘i or later scholar.
**Example:** A later Muslim’s saying.
4. **Which is the strongest?**
- The **strongest hadith** is usually **Sahih**.
- If a hadith is **mutawatir**, it is also extremely strong.
- In simple words: **mutawatir by number** and **sahih by quality** are the strongest kinds.
5. **Easy example with apples**
- **Sahih** is like many trusted friends all saying, “We saw 10 apples.”
- **Da‘if** is like one friend who is not sure.
- **Maudu‘** is like someone making up a story about the apples.
6. **Scholars’ Explanation**
- Imam al-Nawawi, in *al-Taqrib* and his hadith works, explained that hadith are graded by how strong the chain and narrators are.
- Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, in *Nukhbat al-Fikr* and *Fath al-Bari*, explained the main levels: sahih, hasan, da‘if, and more.
- Hadith scholars check the chain carefully, like checking every link in a necklace.
**Takeaway:**
The strongest hadith are the ones that are **sahih**, and **mutawatir** is very strong too.
When you learn hadith, always ask: “Is the chain strong?”
Allah knows best.