الحمد لله و الصلاة و السلام على رسول الله و على آله و أصحابه أجمعين و من تبيعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.
1) What are the Kutub As-Sitta?
They are the six famous books of Hadith (the following are their simplified names):
a) Sahih Al-Bukhari
b) Sahih Muslim
c) Sunan Abi Dawud
d) Jaami’ At-Tirmidhi
e) Sunan Ibn Majah
f) Sunan An-Nasai
2) Which are the most authentic Ahadith from the six books?
a) The Ahadith that are found both in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, termed as ‘Muttafiqun-‘Alaih’ (Agreed upon), are the strongest in terms of authenticity,
b) Then those Ahadith that are found only in Sahih Al-Bukhari,
c) Then those Ahadith that are found only in Sahih Muslim.
d) Then the rest.
3) What are their actual names?
a) Sahih Al-Bukhari:
According to Ibn al-Salah (Muqaddimah Ibn Salah) the book is called:
al-Jaami’ al-Sahih al-Musnad al-Mukhtasar min Umuri Rasooli-llahi wa sunanihi wa Ayyaamihi.
[الجامع المسند الصحيح المختصر من أمور رسول الله وسننه وأيامه]
(Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani mentioned the same title, replacing the word umur (English: matters) with hadith.) [Source: Wikipedia]
b) Sahih Muslim:
Al-Musnadu Al-Sahihu Al-Mukhtasar Minas-Sunani bi Naqlil Adli Anil Adli An Rasulillah.
[المسند الصحيح المختصر من السنن بنقل العدل عن العدل عن رسول الله ﷺ ]
c) Sunan Abi Dawud:
As-Sunan, famous as Sunan Abi Dawud.
d) Jaami’ At-Tirmidhi (or Sunan At-Tirmidhi):
Al-Jami` al-Mukhtasar min as-Sunan `an Rasulullah wa Ma`rifatu as-Sahih wa al-Ma`lul wa ma `alaihi al-`amal.
[الجامع المختصر من السنن عن رسول الله ﷺ ومعرفة الصحيح والمعلول وما عليه العمل]
e) Sunan An-Nasai:
As-Sunan As-Sughra Bi (Al-Mujtaba) or (Al-Mujtana).
[السنن الصغرى بـ (المُجتبى) أو (المُجتنى)]
f) Sunan Ibn Majah:
As-Sunan, commonly called Sunan Ibn Majah.
[سنن ابن ماجة]
4) Who are their authors?
a) Sahih Al-Bukhari:
Imam al-Bukhaari: His full name was Abu ‘Abd-Allaah, Muhammad ibn Ismaa’eel ibn Ibraaheem ibn al-Mugheerah ibn Bardizbah al-Ja’fi al-Bukhaari. (Shawwal 194 AH- Shawwal 256 AH.)
b) Sahih Muslim:
Imam Muslim: His full name was Abul Husayn, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj ibn Muslim al-Qushayri an-Nisapoori. (born between 200 to 206 AH- died Rajab, 261 AH)
c) Sunan Abi Dawud:
Imam Abu Dawud: His full name was Sulaymaan ibn al-Ash’ath ibn Shaddaad ibn ‘Amr ibn Ishaaq ibn Basheer al-Azdi al-Sajistani. (202- 275 AH.)
d) Jaami’ At-Tirmidhi:
Imam At-Tirmidhi: His full name was Abu Eesa, Muhammad ibn ‘Eesa ibn Soorah ibn Moosa ibn al-Dahhaak al-Salami at-Tirmidhi. (209- 279AH.)
e) Sunan An-Nasaai:
Imam An-Nasaai: His full name was Abu Abdur Rahman, Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb ibn ‘Ali ibn Sinaan ibn Bahr ibn Dinar al-Nasaa’i. (214- 313AH.)
f) Sunan Ibn Majah:
Imam Ibn Maajah: His full name was Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yazeed (Maajah) al-Rab’i al-Qazwayni. (209- Ramadan 273 AH.)
5) How many Ahadith are there in the six books of Hadith with repetations?
a) Sahih Bukhari, collected by Imam Bukhari (d. 256 AH, 870 CE), includes 7,275 ahadith (2,230 without repetitions)
b)Sahih Muslim, collected by Muslim b. al-Hajjaj (d. 261 AH, 875 CE), includes 9,200 ahadith (2,200 without repetitions)
c) Sunan Abu Dawood, collected by Abu Dawood (d. 275 AH, 888 CE), includes 4,800 ahadith
d) Jami al-Tirmidhi, collected by al-Tirmidhi(d. 279 AH, 892 CE), includes 3,956 ahadith
e) Sunan al-Sughra, collected by al-Nasa’i(d. 303 AH, 915 CE), includes 5,270 ahadith
f) Sunan ibn Majah, collected by Ibn Majah (d. 273 AH, 887 CE), over 4,000 ahadith.
[Wikipedia; referencing it to Muqaddimah Ibn Salah.]
6) How many Ahadith are there in the Kutub As-Sitta (the six books of Hadith) without repetations in each-other?
(According to the research of Shaikh Yahya bin Abdul Azeez Al-Yahya as mentioned in Islamweb.com)
a) Ahadith found both in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim: 2514
b) Only in Sahih Al-Bukhari: 580,
c) Only in Sahih Muslim: 960,
(Now in the remaining books excluding the unauthentic Ahadith according to the Shaikh’s own research.)
d) In Sunan Abi Dawud (and not in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim): 874,
e) In Jaami’ At-Tirmidhi (excluding the previous books): 370,
f) In Sunan An-Nasai (excluding the previous books): 563,
g) In Sunan Ibn Majah (excluding the previous books): 180.
-Compiled by Abu Muaaz Mohammed Manna.
(11th May 2020 CE, 18th Ramadan 1441 AH.)
Saheehus-Seerah 