There is much controversy surrounding the first century of Islamic history. Historians often have difficulty agreeing on whether or not it is reliable to use hadith literature as a source for the origins of Islam, considering that a large amount of hadith emerged well after the time of Muhammad. Many historians find problems with the isnad and matn of hadith. Historians argue that these can be easily falsified given the nature of the way hadiths are transmitted orally. Another problem with using hadiths as a historical source for the origins of Islam is that many hadith collections contain anachronisms, which once again raises questions about the reliability of such collections. Finally, some parts of the hadith are interpreted by the Quran, which is problematic because many scholars may interpret the Quran differently, resulting in inconsistencies. Because many of these hadiths date back to the 9th century but make claims about very ancient times, they are more effective as sources for historians seeking information on the 9th century rather than as historical sources for the origins of Islam. Although hadith accounts can be useful to historians for information about the 9th century or later, they are not reliable as historical sources for information about the origins of Islam. Many non-prophetic hadith accounts emerged around the 9th century. In response to these reports that did not center on the Prophet Muhammad, a man named Al-Shafi'i began to popularize reports of prophetic hadith. He believed that the hadith should be about what Muhammad would do or say. Up until the time of al-Shafi'i's death, hadith specialists began traveling to major cities in search of prophetic hadith. These missions are known as Talab al-...... middle of the paper ...... the accuracy of the hadith. Furthermore, given the nature of the different interpretations of the Quran, it is impossible for all scholars to come to the same conclusion for each sura. Although the hadith is unreliable as a historical source for the origins of Islam, it can still be useful to historians to learn about the culture of the people who lived in the 9th century. Works Cited Berg, Herbert. Method and theory in the study of Islamic origins. Leiden: Brill, 2003. Print.Brown, Daniel W. A New Introduction to Islam. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Print.Brown, Jonathan AC “How We Know Early Critics of the Hadīth Criticized Matn and Why It Is So Hard to Find.” Islamic Law and Society 15.2 (2008): 143-184. Academic ResearchPremier. Network. March 20, 2014.Motzki, Harald. The origins of Islamic jurisprudence: Meccan Fiqh before the classical schools. Leiden: Brill, 2002. Print.