# Hadith anthology recommendations

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hadith-anthology-recommendations/774439>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 11, 2016, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hadith-anthology-recommendations/774439 "2016-12-11T16:32:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2016, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hadith-anthology-recommendations/774439/1 "2016-12-11T16:32:30Z")

</div>

A few months ago I finished reading the Quran and subsequently learned about Ahadith. As background, I was raised Christian and have dabbled in atheism as a teen and am now more or less an agnostic/atheist.

I read the Quran not for spiritual reasons but to better understand the foundations of Islam and its impact on current affairs.

With that in mind I would like to read the Ahadith. I’ve seen anthologies directed to specific issues (eg Ahadith and women’s issues, Ahadith and science etc). Can anyone out there recommend anthologies of all of them or does such a thing exist? I understand that they are reports of the actions and words of Muhammed (similar to the New Testament with respect to Christ perhaps?).

Thank you very much

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hadith-anthology-recommendations/774439/2 "2016-12-19T21:51:27Z")

</div>

I’m just bumping this once, and only once, in case somebody has a recommendation. After this I’ll let my question vanish into the Dope zombie mists:)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hadith-anthology-recommendations/774439/3 "2016-12-19T21:58:18Z")

</div>

Since this is about books, let’s move it to Cafe Society.

Colibri  
General Questions Moderator

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hadith-anthology-recommendations/774439/4 "2016-12-19T22:19:28Z")

</div>

My recommendation is based solely on the fact that I have a set, and that as an English speaker I found it reasonably easy to use: **Mishkat al-Masabih** (spellings can vary).

> **[Mishkat al-Masabih](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishkat_al-Masabih)**
>
> Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ (Arabic: مشكاة المصابيح, lit. 'The Niche of Lanterns') by Walī ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Khaṭīb at-Tibrīzī (d.1248) is an expanded and revised version of al-Baghawī's Maṣābīḥ as-Sunnah. Khaṭīb at-Tibrīzī rendered this version of the original text more accessible to those not having an advanced knowledge of the science of hadith.
> It contains 5945 aḥādīth divided into 29 chapters and is considered to be an important collection of aḥādīth by Sunni Islamic ...

It is probably going to be a bit difficult to find the set of books, but at least some of it seems to be available online via PDF if you search. The key to the whole thing, just like law, is to have the indexes.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hadith-anthology-recommendations/774439/5 "2016-12-20T01:14:13Z")

</div>

Colibri, thanks for moving this and, Raza, thanks for your response.