This book demonstrates how the concept of Prophetic Sunna and the vehicle of the Hadith creates a uniquely Islamic identity with specific religious beliefs and practices that distinguish Muslims from other Abrahamic monotheists.

Aisha Y. Musa offers a focused analysis of the compilation and organizations of two, topically arranged Hadith collections (musannaf and sunan works) and how their content and organization serve the social and religious needs of the Islamic community. By providing details of praying, fasting, giving charity, and making pilgrimage that are recognized the world over as being distinctly Islamic, the Hadith-dependent concept of Prophetic Sunna remains central to that Islamic identity.