know of a surety. Verily he who purposely represents my words wrongly, would find a place nowhere for himself but in fire."
But notwithstanding the severe warning given by Muhammad himself, it is admitted by all Muslim divines that very many spurious traditions have been handed down. Abu Dáud received only four thousand eight hundred, out of five hundred thousand, and even after this careful selection he states that he has mentioned "those which seem to be authentic and those which are nearly so." Out of forty thousand persons who have been instrumental in handing down traditions of "the Prophet," Bokhárí only acknowledged two thousand as reliable authorities. It will, therefore, be seen how unreliable are the traditions of Islám although they are part of the rule of faith. Such being the case, it is not surprising that ʾIlm-i-Hadís, or the Science of Tradition, has become a most important branch of Muslm Divinity, and that the following canons have been framed for the reception or rejection of traditions.
