Download or read book An Introduction to the Ḥadīth written by John Burton and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hadith are traditionally believed to be the words of the Prophet, memorised by his followers and eventually written down in the second century. However, for years Western scholars have been questioning their validity, and saying their link with the Prophet is tenuous. This book concentrates on the origins of the views presented in the Hadith and compares them with those of the Qur'an, focusing on the areas of fasting, prayer and marriage, and examining their treatment in exegetical literature before they passed into legal and ritual writings. It is a clear introduction to a complicated set of arguments.