Translator: Prof. Ahmad Hasan
Sunan Abu-Dawud is a collection of sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) (also known as the sunnah). The reports of the Prophet's sayings and deeds are called ahadith. Abu-Dawud lived a couple of centuries after the Prophet's death and worked extremely hard to collect his ahadith. Each report in his collection was checked for compatibility with the Qur'an, and the veracity of the chain of reporters had to be painstakingly established. Abu-Dawud's collection is recognized by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim world to be one of the most authentic collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh), however it is also known to contain some weak ahadith (some of which he pointed out, others which he did not).
Abu-Dawud (full name Abu-Dawud Sulaiman bin Al-Aash'ath Al-Azdi as-Sijistani) was born in 202 A.H. and died in 275 A.H. He was one of the most widely travelled of the scholars of ahadith, going to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Khurasahn, Egypt, Syria, Nishapur, Marv, and other places for the sole purpose of collecting ahadith. His primary interest was in law, hence his collection focuses purely on legal ahadith. From about 50,000 ahadith, he chose 4,800 for inclusion in his work based on their superior authenticity.
It is important to realize, however, that Abu-Dawud's collection is not complete: there are other scholars who worked as Abu-Dawud did and collected other reports.
The translation of Sunan Abu-Dawud found here is not complete! Roughly half of the collection is missing; please take this into account if you cannot find a specific hadith.
- Book 1: Purification (Kitab Al-Taharah)
- Book 2: Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)
- Book 3: Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Details of Commen...
- Book 4: Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Detailed Rules of...
- Book 5: Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Prayer at Night
- Book 6: Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Detailed Injuncti...
- Book 7: Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Prostration while...
- Book 8: Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Detailed Injuncti...
- Book 9: Zakat (Kitab Al-Zakat)
- Book 10: The Rites of Hajj (Kitab Al-Manasik Wa'l-...
- Book 11: Marriage (Kitab Al-Nikah)
- Book 12: Divorce (Kitab Al-Talaq)
- Book 13: Fasting (Kitab Al-Siyam)
- Book 14: Jihad (Kitab Al-Jihad)
- Book 15: Sacrifice (Kitab Al-Dahaya)
- Book 16: Game (Kitab Al-Said)
- Book 17: Wills (Kitab Al-Wasaya)
- Book 18: Shares of Inheritance (Kitab Al-Fara'id)
- Book 19: Tribute, Spoils, and Rulership (Kitab Al-...
- Book 20: Funerals (Kitab Al-Jana'iz)
- Book 21: Oaths and Vows (Kitab Al-Aiman Wa Al-Nudh...
- Book 22: Commercial Transactions (Kitab Al-Buyu)
- Book 23: Wages (Kitab Al-Ijarah)
- Book 24: The Office of the Judge (Kitab Al-Aqdiyah...
- Book 25: Knowledge (Kitab Al-Ilm)
- Book 26: Drinks (Kitab Al-Ashribah)
- Book 27: Foods (Kitab Al-At'imah)
- Book 28: Medicine (Kitab Al-Tibb)
- Book 29: Divination and Omens (Kitab Al-Kahanah Wa...
- Book 30: Dialects and Readings of the Qur'an (Kita...
- Book 31: Hot Baths (Kitab Al-Hammam)
- Book 32: Clothing (Kitab Al-Libas)
- Book 33: Combing the Hair (Kitab Al-Tarajjul)
- Book 34: Signet-Rings (Kitab Al-Khatam)
- Book 35: Trials and Fierce Battles (Kitab Al-Fitan...
- Book 36: The Promised Deliverer (Kitab Al-Mahdi)
- Book 37: Battles (Kitab Al-Malahim)
- Book 38: Prescribed Punishments (Kitab Al-Hudud)
- Book 39: Types of Blood-Wit (Kitab Al-Diyat)
- Book 40: Model Behavior of the Prophet (Kitab Al-S...
- Book 41: General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)