The total number of memorized authentic hadiths by the six Imams of Sihah Sittah is 2.3 million.

 

The total number of memorized authentic hadiths by the six Imams of Sihah Sittah is 2.3 million.

 

However, in their books, they have narrated a total of 23,346 hadiths without repetition. Interestingly, Salafis consider many hadiths from Sihah Sittah as fabricated (Mawdu). But that is a different discussion.

Now, if the number of hadiths in Sihah Sittah is only 23,346, what about the remaining 2,276,654 hadiths? Where are they? Many people today, unfortunately, are unaware of the vast collection of authentic hadiths beyond Sihah Sittah. The ignorance has increased even more due to the misleading propaganda of the Wahhabi sect, who claim that there are no hadiths outside Sihah Sittah—Na’udhu Billah (We seek refuge in Allah)!

In reality, there are many authentic hadith collections outside of Sihah Sittah. Renowned hadith scholars such as Imam Nawawi (Rahimahullah), Ibnus Salah (Rahimahullah), Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddis Dehlawi (Rahimahullah), and others have stated that there are more than 50 other authentic hadith books outside of Sihah Sittah.

Some of these books are as follows:

1. Musnad of Imam Abu Hanifa (Born: 80 Hijri, Died: 150 Hijri)

2. Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik (Born: 95 Hijri, Died: 179 Hijri)

3. Al-Muwatta by Imam Muhammad (Born: 135 Hijri, Died: 189 Hijri)

4. Al-Musannaf by Abdur Razzaq (Born: 120/126 Hijri, Died: 211 Hijri)

5. Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal (Born: 164 Hijri, Died: 241 Hijri)

6. Musnad Al-Tayalisi (Died: 204 Hijri)

7. Kitabul Athar by Imam Abu Yusuf (Born: 113 Hijri, Died: 182 Hijri)

8. Musnad Al-Humaydi (Died: 219 Hijri)

9. Al-Musannaf by Ibn Abi Shaybah (Born: 159 Hijri, Died: 235 Hijri)

10. Sahih Al-Bukhari (Born: 194 Hijri, Died: 256 Hijri)

11. Sahih Muslim (Born: 204 Hijri, Died: 261 Hijri)

12. Sunan Abu Dawood (Born: 202 Hijri, Died: 275 Hijri)

13. Jami’ At-Tirmidhi (Born: 210 Hijri, Died: 279 Hijri)

14. Sunan An-Nasai (Born: 215 Hijri, Died: 303 Hijri)

15. Sunan Ibn Majah (Born: 209 Hijri, Died: 273 Hijri)

16. Sunan Ad-Darimi (Born: 181 Hijri, Died: 255 Hijri)

17. Musnad Al-Bazzar (Died: 292 Hijri)

18. Sharh Ma’ani Al-Athar (Tahawi Sharif) (Born: 229 Hijri, Died: 321 Hijri)

19. Sahih Ibn Hibban (Born: 354 Hijri, Died: 465 Hijri)

20. Mishkat Al-Masabih (Born: 436 Hijri, Died: 516 Hijri)

21. Al-Mu’jam As-Saghir by At-Tabarani (Born: 260 Hijri, Died: 360 Hijri)

22. Al-Mu’jam Al-Awsat by At-Tabarani (Born: 260 Hijri, Died: 360 Hijri)

23. Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir by At-Tabarani (Born: 260 Hijri, Died: 360 Hijri)

24. Al-Mustadrak Ala As-Sahihain (Born: 321 Hijri, Died: 450 Hijri)

25. Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah (Born: 223 Hijri, Died: 311 Hijri)

26. As-Sunan Al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi (Born: 384 Hijri, Died: 458 Hijri)

27. As-Sunan As-Sughra by Al-Bayhaqi (Born: 384 Hijri, Died: 458 Hijri)

28. Shu’ab Al-Iman by Al-Bayhaqi (Born: 384 Hijri, Died: 458 Hijri)

29. Ma’rifat As-Sunan Wal Athar by Al-Bayhaqi (Born: 384 Hijri, Died: 358 Hijri)

30. Sharh As-Sunnah by Al-Baghawi (Born: 436 Hijri, Died: 516 Hijri)

31. Ma’rifat As-Sahaba by Abu Nu’aim (Born: 336 Hijri, Died: 430 Hijri)

32. Jami’ Al-Ahadith by As-Suyuti (Born: 849 Hijri, Died: 911 Hijri)

33. Ghayat Al-Maqsad Fi Zawa’id Al-Musnad (Born: 735 Hijri, Died: 807 Hijri)

34. Kanz Al-Ummal (Died: 975 Hijri)

35. Akhbar Makkah by Al-Azraqi

36. Sahih Ibn Wahb

37. Sahih Ibn As-Sakan

38. Sahih Al-Muntaqa

39. Mukhtasar Ar-Raziya

40. Sahih Az-Zurqani

41. Sahih Al-Isfahani

42. Sahih Al-Ismaili

43. Kitab Al-Kharaj

44. Kitab Al-Hijaj

45. Kitab Al-Amali

46. Musnad Ash-Shafi’i

47. Musnad Abu Ya’la

48. Musnad Ad-Daraqutni

49. Kitab Al-I’tiqad

50. Kitab Ad-Du’a

51. Musnad Harith Ibn Umama

52. Musnad Al-Bazzar

53. Sunan Said Ibn Mansur

54. Sunan Abi Muslim

55. Ash-Shifa Sharif

56. Al-Hilya

57. Tahdhib Al-Athar

58. Al-Mukhtara

59. Jami’ Al-Masanid Wa As-Sunan

These are just a few examples, and there are many more authentic hadith books. SubhanAllah!

Hadith Collection and Numbers

From the time Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent to this world until his passing at 63 years of age, every word, action, and approval of his falls under hadith. If we consider just the 23 years of his prophethood:

• 23 years × 365 days = 8,395 days

• 8,395 days × 24 hours = 201,480 hours

• 201,480 hours × 60 minutes = 12,088,800 minutes

This means over 12 million minutes of recorded speech, actions, and approvals. How then can some Wahhabis and Kharijites claim that only 10,000 hadiths exist? Did the Prophet ﷺ only speak 10,000 times in 23 years?!

They reject hadith books they have never even studied or researched! How many of these books have they read? How many narrators' biographies do they even know?

Final Thought

Rejecting the vast ocean of hadith literature without proper knowledge is intellectual dishonesty. It is essential to study, analyze, and respect the entire Islamic hadith tradition instead of limiting it to just Sihah Sittah.