The Six Books
الكتب الستة
The 'six books' of later convention: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasa'i and Sunan Ibn Majah — the principal chapter-arranged hadith collections that became the community's widest hadith reference from the fifth century; some lists substitute the Muwatta or the Musnad of Ahmad for Ibn Majah.
At a glance
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- Persia & Central Asia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
The Six Books, in the terminology of the later scholars, are: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasa'i, and Sunan Ibn Majah. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Their standing
They are the most prominent collections of hadith with chains of transmission arranged by chapters. They have been the widest reference of the community for the Prophetic hadith since the fifth century AH. A further source is needed to establish this date.
Differences in counting
Some include the Muwatta' of Malik or the Musnad of Ahmad in place of Sunan Ibn Majah. 7
Connections
- Has part
- Jami' al-Tirmidhi· Sahih al-Bukhari· Sahih Muslim· Sunan Abi Dawud· Sunan al-Nasa'i· Sunan Ibn Majah
- Related to
- Muwatta of Imam Malik
People and things also explored
Abu Dawud al-Sijistani· Muslim's prologue — the isnad is part of the religion· Muwatta, Book of Prayer· Muwatta, Book of Funerals· Muwatta, Book of Zakat· Muwatta, Book of Fasting· Muwatta, Book of Seclusion (i'tikaf)· Muwatta, Book of Pilgrimage (hajj)
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari
- Sahih Muslim
- Sunan Abi Dawud
- Jami' al-Tirmidhi
- Sunan al-Nasaʼi
- Sunan Ibn Majah (Muhammad Fuad Abd al-Baqi edition)
- Muwatta of Imam Malik
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Six Books”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/kutub-al-sitta/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.