The hadith is the collected oral tradition about Muhammad—tradition that is crucial in shaping the beliefs of Muslims. In Islam, the primary holy text is the Qur’an, which Muslims believe was dictated to Muhammad by the supreme deity, Allah. This revelation is relatively short on detail. For all intents and purposes, Islamic doctrines are more robustly sourced in the hadith than anywhere else. These traditions, in reference to the Qur’an, form the basis of most Islamic doctrine and practice.