Hadith
/həˈdiːθ/noun
A report of the sayings, actions, or approvals traditionally attributed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Did you know?In the Qur’an, ḥadīth can mean discourse or narrative generally; only later did it become the specialized term for reports about Muhammad’s words and actions.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḥdṯ
“A reconstructed root associated with becoming new, occurring, or happening.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥadatha
“To happen, occur, or come into being; the underlying verbal root of hadith.”
7th Century
Qur’anic Arabic
ḥadīth
“Speech, discourse, narrative, or report; the word appears in the Qur’an with this broad sense.”
8th–9th Centuries
Arabic
ḥadīth
“A transmitted report concerning the sayings, actions, or tacit approvals of Muhammad.”
17th Century
English
hadith
“An English borrowing referring to a traditional Islamic report about Muhammad.”
Modern English
English
hadith
“A report regarded as part of the textual and interpretive tradition of Islam.”