--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hadith, insofar as they addressed…" description: "\"“The hadith, insofar as they addressed issues not dealt with in the Quran, would become an indispensable tool in the formation of Islamic law. However,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/reza-aslan-2665_greek-philosophy_the-hadith-insofar-as-they-addressed-iss_2411961.png" --- # The hadith, insofar as they addressed issues not dealt… ![“The hadith, insofar as they addressed issues not dealt with in the Quran, would become an indispensable tool in the formation of Islamic law. However, in their earliest stages, the hadith were muddled and totally unregulated, making their authentication almost impossible. Worse, as the first…” quote by Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/reza-aslan-2665_greek-philosophy_the-hadith-insofar-as-they-addressed-iss_2411961.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/reza-aslan-2665_greek-philosophy_the-hadith-insofar-as-they-addressed-iss_2411961.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/reza-aslan-2665_greek-philosophy_the-hadith-insofar-as-they-addressed-iss_2411961.png) > ““The hadith, insofar as they addressed issues not dealt with in the Quran, would become an indispensable tool in the formation of Islamic law. However, in their earliest stages, the hadith were muddled and totally unregulated, making their authentication almost impossible. Worse, as the first generation of Companions passed on, the community had to rely increasingly on the reports that the second generation of Muslims (known as the Tabiun) had received from the first; when the second generation died, the community was yet another step removed from the actual words and deeds of the Prophet. Thus, with each successive generation, the “chain of transmission,” or isnad, that was supposed to authenticate the hadith grew longer and more convoluted, so that in less than two centuries after Muhammad’s death, there were already some seven hundred thousand hadith being circulated throughout the Muslim lands, the great majority of which were unquestionably fabricated by individuals who sought to legitimize their own particular beliefs and practices by connecting them with the Prophet. After a few generations, almost anything could be given the status of hadith if one simply claimed to trace its transmission back to Muhammad. In fact, the Hungarian scholar Ignaz Goldziher has documented numerous hadith the transmitters of which claimed were derived from Muhammad but which were in reality verses from the Torah and Gospels, bits of rabbinic sayings, ancient Persian maxims, passages of Greek philosophy, Indian proverbs, and even an almost word-for-word reproduction of the Lord’s Prayer. By the ninth century, when Islamic law was being fashioned, there were so many false hadith circulating through the community that Muslim legal scholars somewhat whimsically classified them into two categories: lies told for material gain and lies told for ideological advantage. In”” [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early hadith collections were unregulated, leading to many fabricated reports that later shaped Islamic law. **In simple terms:** Unverified sayings were added to Islamic tradition, creating legal issues. Key Takeaway Scrutinize sources and question authenticity. Themes religion law history authenticity Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical historical When to use this quote - legal rulings - theological debates - educational curricula - interfaith dialogues Key Concepts hadith transmission chain of narration fabrication scholarly criticism Questions to Reflect On - What criteria should determine a hadith’s validity? - How do fabricated hadith affect contemporary practice? A Different Perspective Modern scholarship may reinterpret or reject some hadith. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticate Hadith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticate-hadith-6075846/) [False Hadith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-hadith-6075843/) [Greek philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek-philosophy/) [Hadith Circulated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hadith-circulated-6075847/) [Hadith Insofar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hadith-insofar-6075845/) [Hadith Muddled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hadith-muddled-6075844/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Koran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/koran/) ## Related quotes > [“Al-Kind¯ı’s work revived philosophy as living practice and introduced it in the new social environment of Abbasid Baghdad by making it relevant to its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitri-gutas/al-kind-s-work-revived-philosophy-as-living-practice-and-introduced/) [Dimitri Gutas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimitri-gutas/) > [The teachings of Osho, in fact, encompass many religions, but he is not defined by any of them. He is an illuminating speaker on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevill-drury/the-teachings-of-osho-in-fact-encompass-many-religions-but-he-is-not/) [Nevill Drury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevill-drury/) > [The Greek philosophies teach us that we are a combination of dark and light, good and evil, and murderer and savior, hmm? And until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-greek-philosophies-teach-us-that-we-are-a-combination-of-dark-and/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-to-die-and-you-to-live-which-is-better-god-only-knows/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [God cannot suffer - at least not as we do. It has some roots in Greek philosophy: if God is a perfect being, suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-j-h-wright/god-cannot-suffer-at-least-not-as-we-do-it-has-some-roots-in-greek/) [Christopher J. 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James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-g-m-james/) > [“Greeks did not invent philosophy, philosophy had existed across Latin America, Africa, Arabia, India and China, thousands of years earlier, not as some elitist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/greeks-did-not-invent-philosophy-philosophy-had-existed-across-latin/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Greek philosophy seems to have met with something with which a good tragedy is not supposed to meet, namely, a dull ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/greek-philosophy-seems-to-have-met-with-something-with-which-a-good/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [ “, the core of \[Al-Kindi's\] philosophical enterprise was centered in the geometrical approach to the solution of all problems associated with metaphysics and cosmology.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitri-gutas/the-core-of-al-kindi-s-philosophical-enterprise-was-centered-in-the/) [Dimitri Gutas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimitri-gutas/) > [“There seems to be an inborn drive in all human beings not to live in a steady emotional state, which would suggest that such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/there-seems-to-be-an-inborn-drive-in-all-human-beings-not-to-live-in/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [Even today many educated people think that the victory of Christianity over Greek philosophy is a proof of the superior truth of the former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/even-today-many-educated-people-think-that-the-victory-of/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Kabbalah (in Hebrew, literally “receiving”) refers to the mystical traditions that encompass the secrets of the Torah, the esoteric truths that reveal the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-blech/kabbalah-in-hebrew-literally-receiving-refers-to-the-mystical/) [Benjamin Blech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-blech/) ## More by Reza Aslan > [“Despite two millennia of Christian apologetics, the fact is that belief in a dying and rising messiah simply did not exist in Judaism. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/despite-two-millennia-of-christian-apologetics-the-fact-is-that/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Should I act violently in defense of my religion, absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/should-i-act-violently-in-defense-of-my-religion-absolutely/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Religion doesn't make people bigots. People are bigots and they use religion to justify their ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/religion-doesn-t-make-people-bigots-people-are-bigots-and-they-use/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“Scattered across the Roman Empire, it was only natural for the gospel writers to distance themselves from the Jewish independence movement by erasing, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/scattered-across-the-roman-empire-it-was-only-natural-for-the-gospel/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“There is a term for this phenomenon—politicomorphism, or “the divinization of earthly politics”—and it is, to this day, one of the central features of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/there-is-a-term-for-this-phenomenon-politicomorphism-or-the/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Obama has been the single worst president in modern American history in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/obama-has-been-the-single-worst-president-in-modern-american-history/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [There's no question that homophobia is rampant among the world's 1.5 billion Muslims - but that doesn't negate the fact that there are huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/there-s-no-question-that-homophobia-is-rampant-among-the-world-s-1-5/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Well, to be clear, I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament and fluency in Biblical Greek…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/well-to-be-clear-i-am-a-scholar-of-religions-with-four-degrees/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“There would be no more record of who was rich and who was poor. Everyone in this new and divinely inspired world order would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/there-would-be-no-more-record-of-who-was-rich-and-who-was-poor/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [My biography of Jesus is probably the first popular biography that does not use the New Testament as its primary source material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/my-biography-of-jesus-is-probably-the-first-popular-biography-that/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [The Islamic Reformation is already here. We are all living in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/the-islamic-reformation-is-already-here-we-are-all-living-in-it/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“Pilate, as the histories reveal, was not one for trials. In his ten years as governor of Jerusalem, he had sent thousands upon thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/pilate-as-the-histories-reveal-was-not-one-for-trials-in-his-ten/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Is it possible that Jesus, unlike 98 percent of his fellow Jews, was literate and educated? Yes, it's possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/is-it-possible-that-jesus-unlike-98-percent-of-his-fellow-jews-was/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“The choice between James’s vision of a Jewish religion anchored in the Law of Moses and derived from a Jewish nationalist who fought against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/the-choice-between-james-s-vision-of-a-jewish-religion-anchored-in/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“Paul's portrayal of Jesus as Christ may sound familiar to contemporary Christians—it has since become the standard doctrine of the church—but it would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/paul-s-portrayal-of-jesus-as-christ-may-sound-familiar-to/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) [Explore all 154 Reza Aslan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) ## More Greek philosophy quotes > [“Al-Kind¯ı’s work revived philosophy as living practice and introduced it in the new social environment of Abbasid Baghdad by making it relevant to its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitri-gutas/al-kind-s-work-revived-philosophy-as-living-practice-and-introduced/) [Dimitri Gutas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimitri-gutas/) > [Even today many educated people think that the victory of Christianity over Greek philosophy is a proof of the superior truth of the former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/even-today-many-educated-people-think-that-the-victory-of/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“There seems to be an inborn drive in all human beings not to live in a steady emotional state, which would suggest that such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/there-seems-to-be-an-inborn-drive-in-all-human-beings-not-to-live-in/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [ “, the core of \[Al-Kindi's\] philosophical enterprise was centered in the geometrical approach to the solution of all problems associated with metaphysics and cosmology.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitri-gutas/the-core-of-al-kindi-s-philosophical-enterprise-was-centered-in-the/) [Dimitri Gutas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimitri-gutas/) > [Greek philosophy seems to have met with something with which a good tragedy is not supposed to meet, namely, a dull ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/greek-philosophy-seems-to-have-met-with-something-with-which-a-good/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“Greeks did not invent philosophy, philosophy had existed across Latin America, Africa, Arabia, India and China, thousands of years earlier, not as some elitist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/greeks-did-not-invent-philosophy-philosophy-had-existed-across-latin/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“The term Greek philosophy, to begin with is a misnomer, for there is no such philosophy in existence. The ancient Egyptians had developed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-g-m-james/the-term-greek-philosophy-to-begin-with-is-a-misnomer-for-there-is-no/) [George G.M. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-g-m-james/) > [“The classical heritage as shaped by and filtered through Roman culture had two great flaws. First, it prevented the very rich oral cultures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/the-classical-heritage-as-shaped-by-and-filtered-through-roman/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) > [ “Is a Can Opener a Can Opener . . . ? As we explain in The Shaping of Things to Come,\[157\] one of the “trick questions” we use… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-frost/is-a-can-opener-a-can-opener-as-we-explain-in-the-shaping-of-things/) [Michael Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-frost/) > [“It was fundamental to Plato, and to the mainstream of classical Greek philosophy after him, that men are created unequal; not merely in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-finley/it-was-fundamental-to-plato-and-to-the-mainstream-of-classical-greek/) [M.I. Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-i-finley/) > [God cannot suffer - at least not as we do. It has some roots in Greek philosophy: if God is a perfect being, suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-j-h-wright/god-cannot-suffer-at-least-not-as-we-do-it-has-some-roots-in-greek/) [Christopher J. H. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-j-h-wright/) > [I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-to-die-and-you-to-live-which-is-better-god-only-knows/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [The Greek philosophies teach us that we are a combination of dark and light, good and evil, and murderer and savior, hmm? And until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-greek-philosophies-teach-us-that-we-are-a-combination-of-dark-and/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The teachings of Osho, in fact, encompass many religions, but he is not defined by any of them. He is an illuminating speaker on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevill-drury/the-teachings-of-osho-in-fact-encompass-many-religions-but-he-is-not/) [Nevill Drury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevill-drury/) > [“Kabbalah (in Hebrew, literally “receiving”) refers to the mystical traditions that encompass the secrets of the Torah, the esoteric truths that reveal the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-blech/kabbalah-in-hebrew-literally-receiving-refers-to-the-mystical/) [Benjamin Blech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-blech/) [Browse all 30 Greek philosophy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek-philosophy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The hadith, insofar as they addressed issues not dealt with in the Quran, would become an indispensable tool in the formation of Islamic law. However, in their earliest stages, the hadith were muddled and totally unregulated, making their authentication almost impossible. Worse, as the first generation of Companions passed on, the community had to rely increasingly on the reports that the second generation of Muslims (known as the Tabiun) had received from the first; when the second generation died, the community was yet another step removed from the actual words and deeds of the Prophet. Thus, with each successive generation, the “chain of transmission,” or isnad, that was supposed to authenticate the hadith grew longer and more convoluted, so that in less than two centuries after Muhammad’s death, there were already some seven hundred thousand hadith being circulated throughout the Muslim lands, the great majority of which were unquestionably fabricated by individuals who sought to legitimize their own particular beliefs and practices by connecting them with the Prophet. After a few generations, almost anything could be given the status of hadith if one simply claimed to trace its transmission back to Muhammad. In fact, the Hungarian scholar Ignaz Goldziher has documented numerous hadith the transmitters of which claimed were derived from Muhammad but which were in reality verses from the Torah and Gospels, bits of rabbinic sayings, ancient Persian maxims, passages of Greek philosophy, Indian proverbs, and even an almost word-for-word reproduction of the Lord’s Prayer. By the ninth century, when Islamic law was being fashioned, there were so many false hadith circulating through the community that Muslim legal scholars somewhat whimsically classified them into two categories: lies told for material gain and lies told for ideological advantage. 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