al-Ittisal wal-Inqita

al-Ittisal wal-Inqita (Continuity and Discontinuity) is a specialized contemporary treatise on hadith criticism by the Saudi scholar Ibrahim al-Lahim (Ibrahim ibn Abd Allah al-Lahim), completed in 1425 AH (2004/2005 CE) al-Ittisal wal-Inqita. It serves as the second volume in his broader series Silsilat Naqd al-Marwiyyat (The Series on the Criticism of Transmitted Reports), following his earlier volume on al-Jarh wal-Ta'dil (Narrator Criticism and Appraisal) al-Ittisal wal-Inqita.

Purpose and Scope

The book addresses the principles and practical methodologies for determining the continuity (ittisal) and discontinuity (inqita') of hadith chains of transmission (isnad) according to the practice of classical hadith critics (a'immat al-naqd) al-Ittisal wal-Inqita+1. In the introduction, al-Lahim notes that issues related to al-ittisal wal-inqita' are significantly more subtle, complex, and overlapping than those of al-jarh wal-ta'dil, while having received comparatively less systematic codification al-Ittisal wal-Inqita. He also highlights common pitfalls among contemporary practitioners of hadith criticism, such as insufficiently refined rules, the mechanical application of certain principles in contradiction to competing ones, or a lack of exhaustive investigation al-Ittisal wal-Inqita.

Structure and Contents

The work is organized into an introduction and four main chapters structured around the sequential steps a researcher must take to verify the condition of continuity in an isnad al-Ittisal wal-Inqita:

• Chapter One: Examines the nature of a narrator's transmission from the source above him in the chain (sifat riwayat al-rawi 'amman rawa 'anhu), divided into two sections covering performance formulas (sighat al-ada') and their evidentiary values, and the distinction between narrating directly from an individual versus narrating an account of their story (al-riwayah 'an al-shakhs wal-riwayah 'an qissatih) al-Ittisal wal-Inqita.
• Chapter Two: Explores the general verification of whether a narrator directly heard from his teacher (sama' al-rawi mimman rawa 'anhu), in two sections: methods for ascertaining direct hearing, and the requirement of established hearing in narrations transmitted with ambiguous terminology such as 'an (al-isnad al-mu'an'an) al-Ittisal wal-Inqita+1.
• Chapter Three: Focuses on verifying whether the narrator specifically heard the individual hadith under study from that teacher al-Ittisal wal-Inqita.
• Chapter Four: Covers miscellaneous issues related to continuity and discontinuity (mawdu'at mutafarriqah fil-ittisal wal-inqita'), divided into four sections: the condition of continuity and authentic (sahih) hadiths, the degrees of continuity and discontinuity, technical terms used by classical critics, and issuing a final evaluation on a chain of transmission following the study of its continuity al-Ittisal wal-Inqita+1.

Publication

The book was published in Riyadh by Maktabat al-Rushd, appearing in a first edition in 1426 AH (2005 CE) and a second edition in 1432 AH (2011 CE) al-Tafsir al-Nabawi+1.