Selected Sayings of The Holy Prophet of Islam — Page vi
Here, a short selection of Ahadith , that is, Traditions regarding the life, actions and sayings of the Holy Prophet,peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is presented. A study of these sayings provides a brief introduction to the everyday life of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as well as to his prayers, high moral standards, and his style of preaching. Though some Traditions are reported to have been written during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, most of them were committed to writing some 200 years after his demise. Despite the fact that most Traditions were collected after such a long period, they can still be considered highly reliable in the light of the following: As the words of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, were held in very high esteem, all of what he said was immediately memorized by his companions and subsequently repeated, reported and talked about among themselves innumerable times. The second important factor is that his words were treated with great religious fervour and devotion. Any interpolation or even slight deviation from his original words was considered a crime for which one was answerable to God. The words used by the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, himself were, "Hell would be the abode of a person who attributes to me that which I did not say. " Thirdly, when people related things about him or from him to others, it was a custom for the receiver of such a message, not only to memorize what he was told, but also to commit to memory the name and particulars of the person who related it to him, so that if his word was questioned, he could quote the authority. vi