al-Mustalahat al-Hadithiya Bayn al-Ittifaq wa al-Iftiraq
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- al-Mustalahat al-Hadithiya Bayn al-Ittifaq wa al-Iftiraq
al-Mustalahat al-Hadithiya Bayn al-Ittifaq wa al-Iftiraq: Dirasa Tahliliyya Mawdu'iyya (Hadith Terminology between Consensus and Divergence: An Objective Analytical Study) is a contemporary study on the science of hadith terminology (mustalah al-hadith) by the Saudi scholar Rawiya bint Abd Allah ibn Ali Jaber, completed in 1439 AH (2018 CE). The work critically analyzes twelve central hadith categories, examining the points of consensus and divergence in their classical definitions and the degree of conceptual overlap between them.
Composition and Purpose
The work originated as a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Department of Sharia and Islamic Studies (Quran and Sunnah specialization) in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The research was supervised by Fatin bint Hasan ibn Abd al-Rahman Halwani and completed in Dhu al-Hijjah 1439 AH (August 2018 CE), following a topic proposed by Muhammad Fal al-Shinqiti.
The study aims to facilitate the study of hadith sciences by clarifying technical terms, deducing their definitional constraints (quyud), and demonstrating where hadith critics agreed or differed in framing them. It specifically addresses whether differences among scholars constituted substantial contradictions (ikhtilaf tadadd) or merely varied phrasing with aligned meaning (ikhtilaf tanawwu'), while evaluating how accurately traditional textual examples correspond to their technical definitions.
Scope and Content
The book investigates twelve hadith categories drawn from the influential taxonomy of Ibn al-Salah in his Ulum al-Hadith (The Sciences of Hadith), using his formulations as a central reference point. The twelve categories comprise:
- al-Sahih (the authentic)
- al-Hasan (the good)
- al-Da'if (the weak)
- al-Shadhdh (the anomalous)
- al-Munkar (the denounced)
- al-Mu'allal (the defective)
- al-Afrad (solitary transmissions)
- Ziyadat al-thiqa (the addition of a trustworthy narrator)
- al-Mudtarib (the perturbed)
- al-Mudarraj (the interpolated)
- al-Maqlub (the inverted)
- al-Mawdu' (the fabricated)
The author subtitled the project "Part One" (al-Qism al-Awwal), noting that the scope was restricted to these twelve interrelated types due to academic timeframe constraints, leaving other categories in hadith literature for potential further studies.
Structure and Method
The work comprises an introduction, a preliminary overview outlining the major historical compilations in hadith terminology, twelve dedicated chapters, a conclusion with research findings, and technical indexes. Each of the twelve chapters treats one term through a uniform three-part division:
- Definition: The linguistic meaning and chronological exposition of its terminological definitions across hadith literature.
- Critical Analysis and Examples: Detailed examination of the term's definitional criteria alongside representative narrative examples from hadith compilations.
- Summary: A synthesis of the conclusions reached concerning the definition.
Methodologically, the author employs an inductive, analytical, and deductive approach (al-manhaj al-istiqra'i al-tahlili al-istinbati): surveying classical terminology manuals chronologically, breaking down each definition into its constituent criteria, and deducing points of convergence, divergence, and categorical overlap.
Answer updated