The two main sources of the religion of Islam are the Qur'an and the Hadith. Most of the learning comes from these two. When a Muslim seeks guidance, he often refers to one of these two to educate himself on a subject.
The Koran is the central religious text of Islam. It represents the source of God's guidance for every Muslim. The Islamic holy book is the words of God and was dictated to Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, by the Archangel Gabriel and written in Arabic. The chapters in this book touch on all aspects of human existence, including matters of doctrine, social organization, and legislation. The Qur'an confirms the revelations given to earlier prophets, even though these may not be accessible to us in the form in which they were originally revealed. The noblest language and the rational message that speaks directly to the human heart have caused this Divine Book to move nations and civilizations. He will continue to guide those who turn to God with a sincere heart throughout all time.
Hadiths are a collection of traditions containing the sayings/doings of the Prophet Muhammad, which together with accounts of his daily practice (Sunnah) constitute the main source of guidance for Muslims apart from the Qur'an. During the first few decades after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, those who knew him directly (known as the Companions) shared and collected quotes and stories related to the Prophet's life. During the first two centuries after the Prophet's death, scholars conducted a thorough revision of the stories, tracing the provenance of each quote along with the chain of narrators through which the quote was transmitted. Those that were not verifiable were considered "weak" or even "fabricated", while others were considered "authentic" (sahih) and collected into volumes. The most authentic collections of hadith include Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and Sunan Abu Dawud.
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