What do Muslims generally understand by the terms: • isnad and matn of Hadiths; • musannaf and musnad Hadiths?

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2014). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] (a) This question has two parts: for the first part the candidates need to clearly state that Hadiths are divided into two parts. The first part consists of a chain of names, this is called isnad which means 'support' as it is the authority for establishing the genuineness of Hadiths. When the compilers of Hadiths examined the line of transmitters they ensured that the transmitters of authentic Hadiths were widely known to have met the people before and after them and that the last person in the chain was a companion of the Prophet. Well prepared candidates could also point out that the authenticity of the Hadiths was determined by studying the isnads and the individual Muslims within it and explain what that could include. The other part of the Hadith consists of the words of the Prophet known as matn i.e. the text of the Hadith. This is the Prophet's actual teaching which guides Muslims through all ages. Here again good answers could include the set of principles that were used to separate genuine Hadiths from all those about which any doubt could be raised. Development of the answer to this first part could include the example of a sanad being given, showing the names of the transmitters and how the chain ends with the Prophet. Likewise for the matn they may give examples of a genuine Hadith e.g. 'Pray as you see me praying'.
2. [10] (a) In answer to the second part of this question candidates can say that the kind of work in which Hadiths are assembled together according to their theme is called musannaf. Here again good answers could explain that the word musannaf means 'divided up' quite simply because it divides the Hadiths according to their themes e.g. zakat; salat; inheritance etc. On the other hand musnad means 'supported' and these Hadiths are listed under the names of the various companions who come last in the transmission chains, and so guarantee the Hadith's authenticity. Examples of musannaf and musnad collections could be given by the more able candidates. To get to the higher levels the candidates need to clearly state what each of the terms given in the question means and how they are important in the study of Hadiths.
3. [4] (b) In answer to this part question the candidate can either choose between the two types of collection and say why in his/her opinion one is better than the other or state that both are equally important and back that view with valid reasons. All answers that are sound and offer good reasoning should be rewarded with higher levels. Candidates are likely to prefer the musannaf collections as they are based on themes which help the study of a particular topic and its practical application.