form. Besides the
regard in which anecdotes are held, it is considered a mark of education
to insert in one's speech as often as possible a familiar saying, a
proverb, a _bon mot_. These are largely used in the moral addresses
(Khutbah) made in the mosque or elsewhere, addresses which take on also
the form of rhymed prose. A famous collection of such sayings is
attributed to 'Ali, the fourth successor of Muhammad. In these the whole
power of the Arab for subtle distinctions in matters of wordly wisdom,
and the truly religious feeling of the East, are clearly manifested.

The propensity of the Arab mind for the tale and the anecdote has had a
wider influence in shaping the religious and legal development, of
Muhammadanism than would appear at first sight. The 'Qur'an' might well
suffice as a directive code for a small body of men whose daily life was
simple, and whose organization was of the crudest kind. But even
Muhammad in his own later days was called on to supplement the written
word by the spoken, to interpret such parts of his "book" as were
unintelligible, to reconcile conflicting statements, and to fit the
older legislation to changed circumstances. As the religious head of the
community, his dictum became law; and these _logia_ of the Prophet were
handed around and handed down as the unwritten law by which his
lieutenants were to be guided, in matters not only religious, but also
legal. For "law" to them was part and parcel of "religion." This
"hadith" grew apace, until, in the third century of the Hijrah, it was
put to writing. Nothing bears weight which has not the stamp of
Muhammad's authority, as reported by his near surroundings and his
friends. In such a mass of tradition, great care is taken to separate
the chaff from the wheat. The chain of tradition (Isnad) must be given
for each tradition, for each anecdote. But the "friends" of the Prophet
are said to have numbered seven thousand five hundred, and it has not
been easy to keep out fraud and deception. The subjects treated are most
varied, sometimes even trivial, but dealing usually with recondite
questions of law and morals. Three great collections of the 'Hadith'
have been made: by al-Buchari (869), Muslim (874), and al-Tirmidhi
(892). The first two only are considered canonical. From these are
derived the three great systems of jurisprudence which to this day hold
good in the Muhammadan world.

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