The ban on Hadith is a historical tradition (ar|حديث,), which says that Umar, the second Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate (ruled 634-644 CE) ordered a ban on the writing down of oral traditions about the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, who died in 632 CE. Although the tradition is prominently quoted and referred to, it was not given any formal name, in contrast to other Hadiths such as the Hadith of the pond of Khumm or the Hadith of Qur'an and Sunnah.
During Umar's reign as Caliph, hadith were not being narrated by the people.[1]
Many sources state that it was Umar himself who was the first person to ban hadith. Certainly during his rule Umar strictly followed the policy of banning the hadith[2] and prohibited reporting[3] and transmission[4] of hadith altogether . Whenever he sent a group to a city, he would prohibit them from narrating hadith.[5]
This banning continued through the caliphate of the Rashidun caliphs into the Umayyad period and did not cease until the period of Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, who ruled from 717 to 720 CE.[6]
Muslims view this hadith as notable and important on several accounts: several prominent persons are mentioned in the hadith and several controversial issues are dealt with.
Dr. Mohammad Hamidullah
writes: