The Four Books of Hadeeth [Al Kutub al Arba’ah]: [Also known as ‘The Sunan’]:
1. Sunan Abu Dawood2. Sunan at Tirmidhee
3. Sunan an Nasaa-ee
4. Sunan ibn Majah.
[Al Haafidh ibn Katheer in Al Baa'ith al Hatheeth: 1/6]
The Five Books of Hadeeth [Al Kutub al Khamsah]:
They are the foundations of Islaam, meaning :
1. Saheeh al Bukhaaree2. Saheeh Muslim
3. Sunan Abu Dawood
4. Sunan at Tirmidhee
5. Sunan an Nasaa-ee
[Al Imaam an Nawawee in Sharh Saheeh Muslim: vol 1: P.6.]
The Six Books of Hadeeth [Al Kutub as Sittah]: What became well known amongst the people of knowledge, is that the fundamental books that consist of the Ahaadeeth of Ahkaam and others are:
- Saheeh al Bukhaaree
- Saheeh Muslim
- Sunan Abu Dawood
- Sunan an Nasaa-ee
- Jaami’ at Tirmidhee
- Sunan ibn Maajah
The people of knowledge are in agreement that the first five are from the fundamental books, and a lot of them considered Sunan ibn Maajah to be the sixth because it consists of a lot of Ahaadeeth that were not collected in the five. [TN: Some of the people of knowledge considered Muwataa Maalik to be the sixth. The first scholar to add Sunan ibn Maajah to the list was al Haafidh Abu Taahir al Andalosee]
It seems that the first scholar who used this terminology is al Haafidh al Haazimee.
The Order of the Six Books:
The first book is:
- Saheeh al Bukhaaree, then
- Saheeh Muslim, then
- Sunan Abu Dawood, then
- Sunan an Nasaa-ee, then
- Sunan at Tirmidhi, and finally
- Sunan ibn Maajah.
Some of the people of knowledge ordered them differently, giving some books precedence over others. It is mentioned in the biography of Abu Dawood as Sijistaanee – may Allaah have mercy upon him – that Abu ‘Abdullaah ibn Mandah said: “Those who separated authentic Ahadeeth from inauthentic Ahaadeeth are four:
Al Bukhaaree and Muslim, after them comes
Abu Dawood and an Nasaa-ee.
The Nine Books of Hadeeth [Al Kutub at Tis’ah]:
As for the Nine Books of Hadeeth, it seems that the first people to use this terminology were the Mustashriqoon in their book ‘Al Mu’jam al Mufahras li Alfaadh al Hadeeth] They included the Six Books of Hadeeth and added:
- Musnad ad Daarimee
- Muwataa Maalik
- Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal
This is why some of the scholars dislike using this term; ‘The Nine Books of Hadeeth’, because it was not used by the scholars of Hadeeth. So they hold the opinion that the scholars of Hadeeth should not use the terminology of the Mustashriqoon, since Hadeeth is not a science of theirs, rather this is not even from their religion.
Others held the opinion that there is no need to dislike using this term for it is only terminology…”
[Al ‘Allaamah ‘Abdul Muhsin al ‘Abbaad in Sharh Sunan Abu Dawood: 1/19]
[TN The most authentic book after the Qur-aan is Saheeh al Bukharee, the two most authentic books are Saheeh al Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim.]
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