Difference between Sunnah and Hadith

Question:
Are Sunnah and Hadith the same thing? If no, then what is the difference between the two? For better understanding could you kindly quote a few examples?

Response:
Hadith is the record of what the prophet, alaihissalam, said, did, or observed. Sunnah is simply a religious practice. While a book of hadith may tell you that the prophet, alaihissalaam, went for a battle, which of course is simply a historical reality, sunnah are practices like prayers, fasting etc. Hadith contains a description of sunnah as well apart from many other things. Sunnah has come to us primarily through the continuous chain of practice of Muslims from the first generation onwards. Hadith described this sunnah in words and caused it to spread wide in the third century hijrah. However, since it was a record of everything the prophet did, hadith contains not just sunnah but much more.

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