Write about the checks made on the transmitters of Hadiths and on the text of Hadiths to ensure their authenticity.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Many checks were made to determine the authenticity of Hadiths. Hadith researchers developed Ilm ul Hadith to check their authenticity. Within Ilm ul Hadith were many branches like the Asma ul Rijal which studied the lives in great detail of the narrators.
2. Checks were made on both the transmitters of Hadiths and the text of the Hadiths.
3. Some of the checks made on the transmitters were:
4. The narrator had to be a person of firm faith; must be honest and truthful;
5. should have met the person who was before him/her in time, and heard him/her relating the Hadith, and could have also met the person to whom he/she was narrating the Hadith to.
6. The line of transmission (isnad) needed to end with the Prophet (pbuh); the narrator should be at an age where he/she understood the significance of what he/she heard and was aware that a slight change in wording could alter the meaning of the Hadith; have a good memory.
7. Some of the checks on the text (matn) were:
8. It should be in the pure Arabic as spoken by the Prophet (pbuh); should not say anything contrary to the Qur'an; should not praise a particular person or tribe; should not be against common sense or logic; should not give great rewards for small deeds and vice versa. Compilers also travelled long distances to verify a Hadith.
9. It could be said that it was important to collect authentic Hadiths and preserve them so that future generations of Muslims would be able to access the Prophet's Sunna and live their lives following his example.
10. A lot of practice of the Pillars is found in the Hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh). In order to keep the practice of the Prophet (pbuh) pure and free from corruption, it was important to collect and preserve authentic Hadiths.