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The word "Hadith" refers to a saying of the Prophet of Islam. The Hadith about the Quran and Sunnah refers to a saying attributed to Muhammad. The Sunnis (who make up 85-90% of the Muslims) accept this Hadith as Sahih (authentic), whereas the Shi'as (who make up 10-12% of the Muslims) reject this Hadith as Mawdoo (fabricated). The Hadith is used by the Sunnis to stress the importance of following the Sunnah (the sayings and actions of the Prophet of Islam).

It was reported to have been said during Muhammad's Farewell Sermon atop Mount Arafat after his Last Pilgramage. According to one version of the narration, Muhammad said:

I have left among you two matters by holding fast to which, you shall never be misguided: the Book of Allah and the Sunna of His Prophet

This version is cited in many Sunni Hadith books. Amongst those is:

• Tabaqat al-Muhaditheen fi Asbahan by Abu al-Shaykh ^[1]
• al-Tamhid by Ibn Abd al-Barr ^[2]
• al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain by Hakim al-Nishaburi ^[3]
• al-Sunan al-Kubra by Imam al-Bayhaqi ^[4]

The same Hadith is also narrated in the following manner:

I have left among you two matters by holding fast to which, you shall never be misguided: the Book of Allah and my Sunna. And these two shall never part ways until they show up at the Pond

This version is also cited in many Sunni hadith works. Amongst those is:

• al-Jami' li-Akhlaq al-Rawi by Al-Khatib ^[5]
• Sunan al-Daraqutni ^[6]
• Sira al-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Hisham ^[7].

This hadith is considered Sahih by the Sunni, as stated by following scholars:

• Hakim al-Nishaburi ^[8]
• Ibn Abd al-Barr ^[9]
• Ibn Hazm ^[10]

Shi'as reject this Hadith and deem it to be a fabrication designed to distract from what they deem to be the real saying of Muhammad: the Hadith of the two weighty things. Whereas the Sunnis accept both the Hadith of the Quran and Sunnah as well as the Hadith of the two weighty things, the Shi'as believe that only the Hadith of the two weighty things is authentic.

At the same time, Shi'as do agree with the meaning of the Hadith, even if they deem it a fabrication. The Shi'as believe in following the Sunnah of Muhammad, but they say that this is only possible via the Ahl al-Bayt (Muhammad's family).

List of Muslim reports
Hadith of the two weighty things

Sunni:

• http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/scienceofhadith/aape.html#G10
• http://www.ahlelbayt.com/articles/rebuttals/quran-and-sunnah

1. ^ Volume 4, p.67, hadith no. 549
2. ^ Volume 24, p.331
3. ^ Volume 1, p.171, hadith no 318
4. ^ Volume 10 p.114 hadith no #20108
5. ^ Vol 1 p111, 1983 ed.
6. ^ Vol 4 p.245 #149
7. ^ vol6 p.8-10
8. ^ As stated in his book Mustadrak al-Hakim, vol 1 p93
9. ^ As stated in his work Tamhid, vol 24 p331
10. ^ As stated in his work al-Ihkam vol 6 p243