Sayings

Muhammad wasn't always known as the Messenger.

It was not until he was 40 years old that he first heard the words that would change the world forever.

Those special words,

God's words,

he always knew were quite different from words he chose to say for himself.

Those around him also knew that those special words, words they used for prayer and study, were God's words

that Muhammad spoke aloud for the people.

These words were gathered together in the book we call the Qur'an.

Now the language spoken by Muhammad and the people in the lands around where he lived was the Arabic language,

and the word Qur'an is the Arabic word meaning recitation, or reading aloud.

And although the Qur'an is just one small bookful of words,

everyone knew that they were so important that they should be treated differently.

And around here they even have their own zone in the eternity well.

But Muhammad was the person that God had chosen to be the Messenger,

and the people around Muhammad wanted to know all about him,

what he had to say in his own words,

his likes and dislikes, and his opinions,

the way that he explained his religion and his way of life,

and his understanding of the meaning of the Qur'an.

And the things that Muhammad said were known as Ahadith,

for the Arabic word Hadith means something that someone has said, a saying,

and because of the way that Arabic works, if you have one saying it is a Hadith,

and if you have lots of them they are not Hadiths,

they are Ahadith,

sayings of the Messenger.

Now, just as muslims today learn the Qur'an, and say their prayers in the way that Muhammad did so long ago,

muslims also learn the sayings of the Messenger and pass them on from one person to another.

Do you know a Hadith that you could share with other people?

Here are some that you may have heard before or even know already

Some Ahadith tell us things about God, things we could not know without a Messenger to tell us.

Some Ahadith tell us of the best way for those who believe in God to live together.

Muhammad spoke about the way we should behave with our families.

Muhammad spoke of the best way for us to go about our lives.