Did hadith collecting start a hundred years after the death of the prophet?

Hadith collecting began shortly after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century and continued over the course of several centuries. The process of collecting, recording, and preserving the hadith, which are sayings and actions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, was an important part of the development of Islamic tradition and theology.  Hadith collecting began during the time of the Prophet Muhammad's companions, who were the people who knew and interacted with the Prophet personally and who were considered the closest generation to him. Many of the Prophet's companions recorded his sayings and actions and passed them down orally to subsequent generations.  Over time, the process of collecting and recording the hadith became more formalized, and scholars began to compile and organize the hadith into collections. This process continued for several centuries and resulted in the production of several major hadith collections, which are considered among the most reliable and authoritative sources of Islamic tradition and teachings.  In summary, hadith collecting began shortly after the death of the Prophet Muhammad and continued over the course of several centuries. The process of collecting and recording the hadith was an important part of the development of Islamic tradition and theology.