Although the task of preserving of Ahadith through all the four ways mentioned earlier including compilations in written form, has been performed with due diligence throughout the first four centuries of Islamic history, yet it does not mean that all the traditions narrated or compiled in this period have been held as true and reliable.
We have discussed the different methods undertaken by the companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWS) to preserve the Ahadith. An objective study of these methods would prove that although ‘writing’ was not the sole method of their preservation, yet it was never neglected in this process. Inspired by the Holy Prophet (SAWS) himself, a large number of his companions, used to secure the Ahadith in written form.
Faced with the overwhelming arguments in favor of the authority of Sunnah some people resort to another way of suspecting its credibility, that is, to suspect its historical authenticity.
According to them, the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAWS) though having a binding authority for all times to come, has not been preserved in a trustworthy manner. Unlike the Holy Quran, they say, there is no single book containing reliable reports about the Sunnah. There are too many works having a large number of traditions sometimes conflicting with each other. And those books, too, were compiled in the third century of Hijrah. So, we cannot place our trust in the reports which have not even been reduced to writing during the first three centuries.
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