Title: Understanding Islam through Hadīs
Description: Islam is not merely a theology, or a statement about Allah and his relationship with His creatures. Besides containing doctrinal and creedal material, it deals with social, penal, commercial, ritualistic, and ceremonial matters. It enters into everything, even into such private areas as one's dress, marrying, and mating. In the language of the Muslim theologians, Islam is a "complete" and "completed" religion. It is equally political and military. It has much to do with statecraft, and it has a very specific view of the world peopled by infidels. Since most of the world is still infidel, it is very imporatnt for those who are not Muslims to understand Islam. The sources of Islam are two: the Qurān and the Hadīs ("Sayings" or "Traditions"), usually called the Sunnah ("customs"), both having their center in Muhammad. The Qurān contains the Prophet's "revelations" (wahy); the Hadīs, all that he did or said, or enjoined, forbade or did not forbid, approved or disapproved. The word Hadīs, singular in form (pl ahādīs), is also used collectively for all the traditions taken together, for the whole sacred tradtion. Muslim theologians make no distinction between the Quran and the Hadis. To them both are works of revelation or inspiration. - Introduction.