The short answer
A hadith is a report of something the Prophet Muhammad said, did, or approved. Each has two parts: a chain of the people who passed it on and the text itself. Scholars studied the reliability of every transmitter and whether the chain was unbroken, then graded reports as sound, good, weak, or fabricated.
A little more context
The most trusted Sunni collections are those of al-Bukhari and Muslim; Shia Muslims have their own collections. Hadith are distinct from the Qur’an, which is God’s word transmitted by mass memorisation. When you meet a quotation attributed to the Prophet, ask for its collection and number; Sunnah.com lets you look it up. Our guide to hadith and Sunnah goes further.
Sources & further reading
- Qur’an 33:21 The Messenger as an example.
- Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi, 1 Actions are by intentions: the first hadith in many collections.
- Sunnah.com — About How collections are organised and cited.
Original introductory summary, not a direct scripture translation. Prepared 21 October 2026. Qualified human religious review is pending. About our editorial approach.