AlSittah

Al-Sittah, meaning “the six,” refers to the six canonical hadith collections revered in Sunni Islam as the core sources of prophetic traditions outside the Quran. The term is used to designate a group of works compiled by early Muslim scholars that gathered sayings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad, organized with chains of transmission (isnad) and textual reports (matn).

The six works commonly included are Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawood, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasa'i, and Sunan Ibn Majah. Collectively they are known as Kutub al-Sittah, the six books. In some discussions, variations exist where other compilations are grouped differently, but the standard arrangement in mainstream Sunni scholarship remains these six titles. Among them, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are widely regarded as the most authentic (sahih) collections, while the others contribute further material across jurisprudence, theology, and ethics.

The compilations were assembled between the 9th and 8th centuries CE by renowned scholars: Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah. They were produced to systematize hadith for juristic reasoning and religious practice, providing chains of narrators and contextual notes. The evaluations of hadith quality vary among scholars, with some reports considered reliable, others weak or disputed.

Today, al-Sittah remains foundational in Sunni hadith studies, serving as primary reference works for Islamic law, beliefs, and methodology. They are studied in conjunction with the Qur’an and later commentaries, and are widely available in print and digital formats.