Sahih Muslim is the second most authentic source of Hadiths, after Sahih Bukhari. It is a collection of the acts and statements of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) collected, verified, and curated by Imam Muslim. Along with Sahih Al-Bukhari, it forms the ‘Sahihain’ or ‘Two Sahihs’ that are considered the most authentic collection of Hadiths.
The Sahih Muslim book is a treasure of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) sayings and teachings. The hadiths quoted in this Sahih are essential for the understanding, interpretation, and practical applications of Quranic injunctions and decrees. It covers all topics from prayer, sustenance, living, and every day ethics and etiquette. Our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) has left guidance that will help us achieve success in this life and the hereafter.
Let’s unlock the true essence of the Sunnah and understand one of the most authentic books: Sahih Al-Muslim.
Sahih Muslim is one of the six major hadith collections & is considered the second most authentic hadith collection after Sahih al-Bukhari. Together with Sahih al-Bukhari, it forms the "Sahihain," or the "Two Sahihs." It contains roughly 7500 hadith (with repetitions) in 57 books.
Current Location: Islamabad, Pakistan
Sahih Muslim is a compilation of Hadiths and Sunnah from the Prophet (ﷺ) that reflect His attributes and way of life. Like Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim traveled all over the world to gather 300,000 Hadiths and labeled 4000 Hadiths as Sahih. It is one of the Kitab-al Sitta, the six major books of the Hadith collection. It has around 56 chapters or books, each having a different title, covering different aspects of life from the life of the Prophet (ﷺ).
Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj ibn Muslim ibn Warat al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, famous as Imam Muslim, is the compiler of Sahih Hadiths who was born in Abbasid province of Khurasan present-day Iran, to the Qushayr tribe in 206 after Hijirah period. His father was a practicing Muslim who would sit with people of knowledge to enhance his understanding of the religion, and therefore, Imam Muslims grew up with an aim to gain knowledge. He began his journey and quest for Islamic scholarship at the tender age of 12 years only under Yahya ibn Yahya At-Tamimi. At the age of 14, he went to Basra and later to Makkah to perform Hajj when he was too young to even have a beard.
After studying under the Imams of Hadith in Makkah and Madinah, he moved to Egypt, The Levant, which is modern-day Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq before returning to Khurasan. During this time, he came across many big names of scholars of Hadith under which he studied, including Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahuwayh, and Imam Bukhari. He considered Imam Bukhari as the leader of Muhadditin (the scholars of Hadith) and took great wisdom from his work and methods. Abu Eisa At-Tirmidhi was among his students who was again a future Muhadditin. Imam Muslim spent 15 years of his life compiling his book, from 235 AH till 250 Ah. He passed away in 261 AH in Nasarabad, Iran.
Sahih Muslim, originally named Al-Jami Al-Sahih, is one of the major collections of Hadith collections, and it is considered the second most authentic book that portrays the sayings and attributes of the Prophet (ﷺ). It consists of around 7275 Hadith with repetitions, divided into 56 chapters, which were selected from the collection of 300,000 Hadiths. Imam Muslim organized the book into chapters without giving them any titles. The tiles you see were given later by other big scholars.
The collection begins with an introduction where Imam Muslim explains how Hadiths are transmitted. One of the main transmitters was Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Sufyan, the second transmitter was Ahmad ibn Ali Al-Qalanisi, and the rest two were Makki ibn Abdan and Abu Hamid ibn Al-Sharqi. There were other transmitters as well, but these four were the prominent ones, especially Abu Ishaq and Ahmad ibn Ali.
A Hadith was considered authentic by Imam Muslim when it had an unbroken chain of transmitters up to the Prophet (ﷺ) and should be in perfect harmony with other trustworthy narrators. He set three conditions for the narrators to be considered:
Imam Muslim has worked hard in connecting the narrators' chain. He recorded only the Hadith, which has at least two trustworthy tabi'in who had heard the Hadith from two companions of the Prophet (ﷺ).
There are a few special terms used to define Hadith or the narrators and knowing its meaning will help you understand the Hadith and its narrator in a better way. Here is a list of important terms:
Sahih – The Hadith, which is authentic and has no signs of defect or false information, is said to be Sahih.
Musnad – The supporting Hadith is called as Musnad. The scholar of the Hadith, when heard about the Hadith from his sheikh, and his sheikh, learned from his sheikh, and the chain goes on to Prophet (ﷺ), then such a Hadith is called Musnad.
At our MuslimandQuran.com website, you can use the drop-down button at the right side of the page to access the 'Hadith Collection.' On the Hadith collection page, you will find all the Sihah Sitta there, and Sahih Muslim is the second in the list. Click on Sahih Muslim to see the list of its 56 chapters, also called books, and check the desired Hadiths that come under the category.
Another simple way to get all the Hadiths at your fingertips is to download our app from the app store or Play store on your smartphone. On our application's homepage, you will find icons for all the resources that you could explore with us. Click on Hadith Collection, which you can also access from the drop-down button on the top left-hand side of your phone. You will see all the collections in line, the first two being the Sahih collections, Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Click on Sahih Muslim to enter the world of wisdom and guidance, where you will find all the Hadiths that are purely authentic and taught by our Prophet (ﷺ). You can easily navigate through the chapter to see the content inside the 56 books available for your religious guidance.
Sahih Muslim is the most authentic Hadith book in the Sahih Sitta after Sahih Bukhari. Each narration's authenticity has been rigorously checked by renowned scholars in Islam. While using the Hadith from the Sahih book, always quote the Hadith with the name of the narrators and cite the Hadith by providing the book number, volume, and Hadith number.
