The Third Period of the Compilation

• • This period is believed to be the ‘Golden Era’ for compilation.
  • Six most authentic books of Ahadith were compiled in this period.
  • Rules, regulations, principles, and standards were formulated in this era.
• • The third period began with the death of the Companions.
  • Muslims had to rely on the communications of the successors, who narrated to the ‘Taba-i-Tabayeen’ or ‘Successors of the Successors’.
  • In the third century, the compilation of Ahadith was done very enthusiastically.
  • This was the Golden Age for the Hadith compilation.
  • Reciting and memorizing Ahadith was considered to be a privilege, and soon a great number of Ahadith were collected.
• • It was the time when the scrutiny of the Ahadith was done.
  • Ahadith could be authentic.
  • The ones suspected to be fabricated were rejected.
  • They said that the text should not be in conflict with the Holy Quran.
  • The Isnad must be full and unbroken and the narrator must be known for his memory, piety, and knowledge.
• • It was originally Ismail Al-Bukhari's idea to compile the authentic Ahadith.
  • He gathered 600,000 of them out of which more than 7,000 were added to his work as they were the most authentic.
  • It took him 16 years to compile.
  • He was followed by a number of other scholars such as Imam Muslim .
  • The collections by Bukhari and Muslim are held in great esteem and are known as the two ‘Sahih’, i.e. the two collections recognized as absolutely authentic.
• • Abu Dawood, the author of Al-Sunan, Al-Tirmidhi,
  • the author of Al-Jame’, Al-Nisai,
  • the author of Al-Sunan, Ibn-e-Majah
  • the author of Kitab-al-Sunnah,
  • are the four authors along with Bukhari and Muslim, whose books became widely recognized in the Muslim world as six leading books called ‘Al-Kutub-ul-Sittah’ or the ‘Six Sahihs’ (Authentic Books).
• • Sahih Bukhari compiled by Imam Bukhari (d. 256 AH, 870 CE), 7,275 Ahadith .
  • Sahih Muslim compiled by Imam Muslim (d. 261 AH, 875 CE), 9,200 Ahadith .
  • Jam-e-Tirmidhi compiled by Imam Abu Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH, 892 CE), 3,956 Ahadith .
  • Abu Dawood compiled by Imam Abu Dawood (d. 275 AH, 888 CE), 4,800 Ahadith .
  • Sunan Nasai compiled by Imam Nasai (d. 303 AH, 915 CE), 5,270 Ahadith .
  • Ibn Majah compiled by Imam Abu Abdullah Al-Qazwini (d. 273 AH, 887 CE), i over 4,000 Ahadith .
• In the third period, many other scholars compiled new collections. Their contents were taken from the six books and rearranged in various ways until it was felt that all the Ahadith circulating orally had been reduced to writing. Hence, the Hadith literature became exceedingly rich and finally came to a state, as we know it today, as a guide for all Muslims.