Hadith means ‘tradition’, but it also has a more specific meaning. It was an act or saying attributed either to Muhammad himself or to one of his immediate circle. Regarded as second in importance only to the Qur’an, hadith provided the basis for much Islamic theology and fiqh, non-canon law.28 In the Qur’an Allah speaks, in the hadith Muhammad speaks. In hadith only the meaning is inspired; in the Qur’an both meaning and the word are inspired.29
