Course description

“Aḥabb mâ ta’abbadanî bihi ‘abdî ilayya an-nuṣḥ lî” (Hadith Qudsî)

This course is an introduction to the Ḥadīṯ which is define as reports of the prophet’s words and deeds and considered as the second most important source of Islamic Law. Organised into five general sections, this course will introduce to the hadith tradition, its origin, its criticism, its collection, its functions and the controversies about its usage and authenticity. Thereby, the first section will explore the origins, the development and the transmission of Hadith literature; the second section will examine the methods and history of hadith criticism; the third section will introduce to the different collections of hadith in sunni and chiite islam; the final section will be devoted to the usage of Prophetic Traditions in muslim countries nowadays.