2. The history and importance of the Hadiths

• the history of the compilation of the Hadiths
• the earliest collections
• the main musnad and musannaf collections
• the main compilers and their activities
• the methods based on examination of the chain of transmitters (isnad) and the text (matn) of a Hadith to
test the reliability of the Hadith
• the main features of the six collections of Sunni Hadiths and the four collections of Shi‘a Hadiths
• the major themes of the Hadiths as these are contained both in the passages set for special study and in
other similar passages
• their use in legal thinking, and their relationship with the Qur’an, consensus (ijma‘) and analogy (qiyas)
• their significance in thought and action in Islam.