Saha e Sitta

There are six books on Hadis that the Ulema consider most authentic. 'Sahah' is the plural of 'Saheh' ehich means 'correct' or 'authentic'. And 'Sitta' is the arabic for Six. Hence Six books on Hadis that have been termed most authentic by Ulema constitute Saha-e-Sitta.

The following books are in the Saha-e-Sitta and are hence the most authentic source of Hadis and Sunnat:

Saheeh Bukhari
This collection has been compiled by Abu Abdullah Mohammad Bin Ismaeel Bukhari. Imam Bukhari was born in 194 Hijri and died in 256 Hijri. Imama Bukhair had travelled to far off land for the collection of Hadis , he remembered almost sixx hundred thousand Hadis by heart. The crieteria for a hadis to be compiled in Bukhari's compilation is more strict than others. Each report in his collection was checked for compatibility with the Qur'an, and the veracity of the chain of reporters had to be painstakingly established. Bukhari's collection is recognized by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim world to be one of the most authentic collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh). He spent sixteen years compiling it, and ended up with 2,602 hadith (9,082 with repetition). His criteria for acceptance into the collection were amongst the most stringent of all the scholars of ahadith.
It is important to realize, however, that Bukhari's collection is not complete: there are other scholars who worked as Bukhari did and collected other authentic reports.
The Book has been divided into chapters with a suitable title.

Saheeh Muslim
This book is a compilation of Immam Muslim Bin Hujaj NeshaPuri. Born in 202 Hijri and died in 261 Hijri. Muslim was a student of Bukhari. The style of collection and comilation of this book resembels Saheeh Bukhari. However, the Chapter-wise distribution is better than Saheeh Bukhari.

Note :
The above mentioned books are collectively called 'Saheheen' and if a hadis is found in both books , it is considered most authentic.

Jaamia Trimzi:
Compiled by Abu Isa Mohammad Bin Isa. Born in the present Turkamanistan. Isa Died in 279 Hijri. Isa was the student of great teachers like Imam Bukhari and Imam Abu Daud. The style of comilation and the langage almot resembels Sunnan Abu Daud. The compilation is of special intrest because every Hadis has been tracked to the narrator. Also , the religious affairs of each Hadis have been dicussed as well.

Sunnan Ibn-e-Maja:
Compiled by Abu Abdulah Mohammad bin Yazeed. Born in 209 Hijri and died in 273 Hijri. The compilation only conists of Hadis that contain orders or directives. The compilation has been divided into chapters according to religious matter.

Sunnan Abu Daud:
Compiled by Abu Daud Suleman Bin Ashaat. Abu Daud was born in 202 Hijri and died in 275 Hijri. Abu Daud was the student of Imam Mohammad Bin Hunbaal. Resembels Sunnan Ibn-e-Majja. Islamic orders and directives out of Prophet Mohammad SAW have been stted.

Sunnan Nasai:
Compiled by Abu Abdur Rehman Ahmed Bin Shoaib Bin Ali Nasai. Born in 214 hijri and died in 303 Jijri in Makkah. The initial collection of Abu Abdur Rehamn mounted into a very thick volume of Hadis. Later , the initial compilation was reduced and was nmed 'Sunnan Sughra' which is now known as Sunnan Nasai.

Malik's Muwatta
Malik's Muwatta ("the well-trodden path") is a collection of two items:
the sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) (also known as the sunnah). The reports of the Prophet's sayings and deeds are called ahadith.
the legal opinions and decisions of the Prophet's Companions, their successors, and some later authorities.

Malik (full name Malik bin Anas bin Malik bin Abu Amir Al-Asbahi) was born in 93 A.H. and died in 179 A.H. He lived most of his life in Madinah, the city in which the Prophet (pbuh) settled in. He was a pre-eminent scholar of Islam, and is the originator of the Maliki judicial school of thought. He is reputed to have had over one thousand students. During Malik's lifetime, he steadily revised his Muwatta, so it reflects over forty years of his learning and knowledge. It contains a few thousand hadith.