The word · Hadith
الكُتُبُ السِّتَّة
Kutub Sittah
The six hadith collections that became the standard reference set in Sunni Islam.
Also written · Kutub al-Sittah · Kutub as-Sittah · Al-Kutub al-Sittah · Kutubus Sittah · Sihah Sittah · Sihah al-Sittah · Sihah e Sitta · Six books · The six books · Sittah · Kutub e Sitta
The meaning
What Kutub Sittah means in Islam
They are Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasa'i and Sunan Ibn Majah. The list settled slowly, and some earlier scholars put Malik's Muwatta or al-Darimi's Sunan in the sixth place instead of Ibn Majah. Being in these books is not itself a grade: only the two Sahihs claim soundness throughout, while the four Sunan contain weak material their authors often flagged.
Evidence · Editorial · Our own summary, drawn from the sources named
Read beside it
Words that sit beside it
- SahihaynThe two Sahihs, of al-Bukhari and Muslim, the most rigorously screened collections in Sunni Islam.الصَّحِيحَان
- SunanA hadith book arranged by the chapters of fiqh, gathering the reports a jurist needs.السُّنَن
- MuwattaMalik ibn Anas's early collection, mixing hadith with Companion practice and the settled custom of Madinah.المُوَطَّأ
- HukmThe verdict placed on a hadith, such as sahih, hasan, weak or fabricated.الحُكْم
More from Hadith
- AdalahThe uprightness of a narrator: sane, adult, Muslim, not openly sinful, not known for shameful habits.العَدَالَة
- GharibA hadith narrated by only one person at some point in its chain.الغَرِيب
- IsnadThe chain of narrators who carried a hadith, listed name by name back to its source.الإِسْنَاد
- MatrukA report from a narrator the scholars abandoned, usually one accused of lying or of gross error.المَتْرُوك
- MursalA Tabi'i quotes the Prophet directly, leaving out the Companion who actually heard it.المُرْسَل
- Riyad al-SalihinAl-Nawawi's topical collection on character and worship, the hadith book most widely read by ordinary Muslims.رِيَاضُ الصَّالِحِين