Hadīth

Contents & notes: what this topic covers

Under Hadīth, the JAMB Islamic Studies syllabus expects you to study:

• 6. Hadīth
• (a) History of Hadīth literature - Collection of Hadīth from the time of the Prophet (SAW) to the period of the six authentic collectors of Hadīth
• (b) Authentication of Hadīth
• (i) Isnād (Asma’ur-rijāl)
• (ii) Matn
• (iii) Classification of Hadīth into Sahīh Hassan and Dacīf
• (c) The relationship between Hadīth and the C Glorious Qur’ān
• (i) The importance of Hadīth
• (ii) The similarities and differences between Hadīth and the Glorious Qur’ān
• (d) The six sound collectors of Hadīth – biographies and their works.
• (e) Muwatta and its author – The biography of Imam Malik and the study of his book
• (f) The study of the Arabic texts of the following ahādīth from an-Nawāwi’s collection: 1,3,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,13,15,16, 18,19,21, 22,25,27,34, and 41

Study notes & guidance

Study Hadīth using a recommended Islamic Studies textbook that follows the JAMB syllabus. Work through the contents listed above one by one, make brief notes in your own words, and then practise as many questions on this topic as you can — in Islamic Studies, understanding and steady practice matter far more than memorising. Use the objectives below as a checklist: if you can do each one confidently, you have mastered this topic.

Objectives — candidates should be able to

After studying Hadīth, you should be able to:

1. (i) evaluate the history of Hadīth from the time of the Prophet (SAW) to the period of six authentic collectors. (ii) analyse the Isnād; (iii) analyse the Matn; (iv) distinguish between Hadīth Sahīh, Hassan and dacīf. Islamic Religious Studies andidates should be able to: (i) examine the importance of Hadīth; (ii) distinguish between Hadīth and the Glorious Qur’ān. (i) evaluate their biographies and works (i) evaluate his biography; (ii) analyse his work. (i) interpret the ahādīth in Arabic (ii) apply them in their daily lives.

These objectives are from the official JAMB syllabus. Use them as a checklist — if you can do each one confidently, you have mastered this topic.

Source: official JAMB UTME Islamic Studies syllabus (IBASS, jamb.gov.ng). Reproduced for study use. Last checked: 17 Sept 2026. Always confirm the current syllabus on the official portal.