al-Manhaj al-Muqtarah li-Fahm al-Mustalah
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- Editions
- Dar al-Hijrah lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
al-Manhaj al-Muqtarah li-Fahm al-Mustalah: Dirāsah Taʾrīkhiyyah Taʾṣīliyyah li-Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīth ("The Proposed Methodology for Understanding Hadith Terminology: A Historical and Foundational Study of Hadith Terminology") is a contemporary treatise on the principles of hadith criticism by the Saudi scholar Hatim al-Awni . The work investigates the historical development of hadith technical terms, arguing for a return to the definitions and practical conventions of the early hadith critics (al-mutaqaddimūn) rather than those systematized by later scholars (al-mutaʾakhkhirūn) .
Background and Publication
The treatise originated as a methodological introductory prologue to al-Awni's master's thesis, al-Mursal al-Khafī wa-ʿAlāqatuhu bi-l-Tadlīs ("The Hidden Incomplete Transmission and Its Relationship to Tadlīs") . It was published as an independent single-volume monograph comprising 310 pages by Dār al-Hijrah in Riyadh in 1416 AH (1996 CE) .
The author stated that his motivation arose from observing contradictions between theoretical codifications and practical application in hadith criticism, particularly when encountering the recurring pedagogical phrase among teachers: "this term means X to later scholars, but did not mean so to earlier scholars" . Al-Awni conceived the book as an effort to revive the foundational methodology of early hadith scholars and purge hadith terminology from external conceptual frameworks and blind imitation (taqlīd) .
Method and Core Arguments
The book presents a critical historical review of hadith terms, emphasizing that terminology should be derived directly from the usage of the early masters whose practical evaluations formed the bedrock of the discipline . Al-Awni critiques several conceptual definitions and classifications that became standard in late manuals, including the categorization of transmissions into mutawātir (mass-transmitted) and āḥād (solitary) reports .
Reception and Critique
The book became a central reference in modern debates regarding the methodological divide between early and late hadith scholars :
- Abd al-Karim al-Khudayr commended the book for its thorough inductive reasoning (istiqrāʾ) and deep analysis, but cautioned that its call to deemphasize the late manuals of hadith sciences is unsuitable for beginners . He also disputed al-Awni's strict critique of late terms like mutawātir and āḥād, arguing that differing technical terms are merely verbal conventions where there is no genuine disagreement in substance .
- al-Harith ibn Ali al-Hasani included the book among important contemporary texts for hadith students, though he noted a critique regarding the reading list recommended by al-Awni within the book, pointing out that several of the recommended works had been authored according to the methodology of later scholars .
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