<h3>What is a Hadith?</h3><p>A <strong>Hadith</strong> is a recorded report of the words, actions or approvals of Prophet <strong>Muhammad (peace be upon him)</strong>. Together with the Quran, the Hadith forms the foundation of Islamic teaching. While the Quran gives the command, the Hadith often shows how to carry it out in practice.</p><h3>Parts of a Hadith</h3><p>Every Hadith has two main parts:</p><ul><li><strong>Sanad</strong> – the chain of narrators who passed the report from one to another back to the Prophet.</li><li><strong>Matn</strong> – the actual text or message of the Hadith.</li></ul><h3>Checking and classifying Hadith</h3><p>Great scholars developed <strong>Ulum al-Hadith</strong>, the science of Hadith, to test each report. They examined the character and memory of every narrator. Based on this, a Hadith is graded as <strong>sahih</strong> (sound), <strong>hasan</strong> (good) or <strong>daif</strong> (weak). The most famous collections are those of <strong>Imam Bukhari</strong> and <strong>Imam Muslim</strong>.</p><div class="callout"><strong>Kenyan context:</strong> In Islamic study circles, called <em>halaqa</em>, in Kenyan mosques from Wajir to Mombasa, teachers often quote a Hadith and then explain its chain and meaning. This careful habit of checking sources is a useful life skill: just as scholars verified narrators, a learner today should verify news shared on WhatsApp before forwarding it, avoiding rumours and false information.</div>