The compilers behind every hadith collection currently seeded on SunnahAnswers.
The Amir al-Mu'minin in Hadith. Travelled across the Muslim world for sixteen years collecting and verifying narrations, applying the strictest authentication conditions of any compiler.
Why we feature this source
Sahih al-Bukhari is by consensus the most authentic book after the Qur'an. His 'aqīdah is documented in his Khalq Af'āl al-'Ibād — pure creed of the Salaf, including affirmation of Allah's Sifāt as they came.
Notable works
- Sahih al-Bukhari
- Al-Adab al-Mufrad
- Khalq Af'āl al-'Ibād
- At-Tarikh al-Kabir
Student of al-Bukhari and compiler of the second-most authentic hadith collection. Renowned for his refined arrangement and clean isnāds.
Why we feature this source
Sahih Muslim is unanimously accepted by Ahl us-Sunnah. His creed mirrored that of his teacher and the Salaf.
Notable works
- Sahih Muslim
- Al-Kuna wa'l-Asma'
Compiler of one of the four Sunan, focused especially on hadith of legal rulings (ahkām).
Why we feature this source
Upon the creed of the Salaf; his Risālah to the people of Makkah describes his methodology in selecting and grading narrations.
Notable works
- Sunan Abi Dawud
- Kitāb al-Marāsīl
Student of al-Bukhari. His Jami' is unique for explicitly grading each hadith (sahih, hasan, da'if) and recording differences between the fuqahā'.
Why we feature this source
Trusted Sunan compiler. His grading framework is foundational to the science of hadith criticism.
Notable works
- Jami' at-Tirmidhi (Sunan)
- Ash-Shamā'il al-Muhammadiyyah
Compiler of as-Sunan as-Sughra (the smaller, stricter version), considered the most rigorously authenticated of the four Sunan after Bukhari and Muslim.
Why we feature this source
His criteria are extremely strict; he is among the most reliable compilers.
Notable works
- As-Sunan as-Sughra (al-Mujtaba)
- As-Sunan al-Kubra
Compiler of the sixth canonical Sunan. Includes some narrations not found in the other five.
Why we feature this source
Standard part of the Six Books (Kutub as-Sittah). Some weak narrations are present and have been catalogued by later scholars (e.g. al-Albani).
Imam of Dār al-Hijrah and founder of the Maliki school. His Muwatta is the earliest surviving compilation of hadith and athar arranged by chapter.
Why we feature this source
Imam Malik's creed was the creed of the Salaf — affirming Allah's Sifāt, opposing kalām. The Muwatta is foundational.
Major Shafi'i scholar and muhaddith. His Forty Hadith and Riyad as-Salihin are read across the entire Muslim world.
Why we feature this source
His selection and arrangement of hadith are excellent and widely endorsed by scholars upon the manhaj of the Salaf (al-Albani's tahqiq of Riyad as-Salihin is standard). His own 'aqīdah inclined to the Ash'ari interpretation of the Sifāt — a known difference noted by the muhaqqiqun. The hadith content itself is sound.
Notable works
- Al-Arba'in an-Nawawiyyah
- Riyad as-Salihin
- Sharh Sahih Muslim
- Al-Majmu'
Major 18th-century Indian reformer, hadith scholar, and translator of the Qur'an into Persian. Compiled a Forty Hadith collection focused on creed and conduct.
Why we feature this source
His da'wah revived hadith study in the subcontinent. Some of his philosophical writings (Hujjat Allah al-Bālighah) reflect Sufi-influenced approaches; his hadith compilations themselves are sound.
Notable works
- Hujjat Allah al-Bālighah
- Forty Hadith of Shah Waliullah
Hadith Qudsi (sacred narrations conveying Allah's speech outside the Qur'an) have been collected by many scholars. The popular forty includes selections drawn from Bukhari, Muslim, and other authentic sources.
Why we feature this source
When the underlying hadiths are sahih, the collection is sound. We use editions whose source isnāds are documented.
Notable works
- Forty Hadith Qudsi (compiled selection)
Amir al-Mu'minin in Hadith of his era. Author of Fath al-Bari, the most celebrated commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, and Bulugh al-Maram — a foundational compendium of ahkām hadiths.
Why we feature this source
His mastery of hadith sciences is universally acknowledged. In some Sifāt-related discussions he leaned to ta'wīl (a known Ash'ari-leaning point that the muhaqqiqun upon the manhaj of the Salaf have noted), but his hadith compilations and gradings remain a primary reference.
Notable works
- Bulugh al-Maram
- Fath al-Bari
- Tahdhib at-Tahdhib
- Lisan al-Mizan
Hadith scholar who expanded al-Imam al-Baghawi's Masabih as-Sunnah into Mishkat al-Masabih, adding chains, gradings, and a third section of supplementary narrations.
Why we feature this source
Mishkat is widely used in madāris worldwide. Shaykh al-Albani produced a critical edition (Mishkat al-Masabih bi-tahqīq al-Albani) classifying each hadith — that tahqīq is the recommended reference.
Contemporary scholar upon the manhaj of the Salaf and prolific da'iyah. Compiled Hisn al-Muslim — a small, authentic collection of daily du'as drawn directly from the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Why we feature this source
Studied under and was endorsed by major mashayikh upon the manhaj of the Salaf, including Shaykh Ibn Baz. Hisn al-Muslim is one of the most widely-circulated du'a books in the Muslim world precisely because of its strict adherence to authentic sources.
Notable works
- Hisn al-Muslim
- Nur al-Muslim
- Sharh al-Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah