Hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: the most famous, with their references

A collection of the best-known authentic hadiths with full references

The hadiths are the second source of Islam after the Quran. These sayings, acts and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad guide Muslims in their daily lives. Scholars gathered these precious accounts into different collections over the centuries.

Among the most authentic collections are Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The first holds about 7,500 hadiths collected by Imam al-Bukhari in the 9th century. Sahih Muslim holds nearly 7,200. These two works form what is called the "two Sahihs", recognised by the whole Muslim community for their reliability.

Every authentic hadith has a precise reference. For instance, the famous hadith "deeds are judged only by intentions" is found in Bukhari (1) and Muslim (1907). That numbering lets students and scholars check the sources easily. The other major collections include Sunan Abu Dawud, Jami' at-Tirmidhi and Sunan an-Nasa'i.

The hadiths sit perfectly alongside the Quranic teachings. They explain how to perform the prayer correctly, set out the rules of conduct and clarify particular verses of the holy book. For instance, while the Quran mentions prayer, the hadiths describe its exact movements and formulas.

Studying the hadiths calls for patience and rigour. Each account was passed on through a chain of narrators called an "isnad". The Muslim scholars developed a whole science for checking the authenticity of those chains. That rigorous method has kept the prophetic teachings faithfully preserved across the generations.

Today many sites and apps make these sacred texts easy to reach. Muslims can deepen their understanding of Islam by reading these authentic sources directly, with their full references.