Buhuth fi al-Mustalah lil-Fahl
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- Buhuth fi al-Mustalah lil-Fahl
Buhuth fi al-Mustalah (Researches in Hadith Terminology) is a contemporary treatise on hadith terminology and transmission criticism by the Iraqi scholar Mahir al-Fahl (Dr. Mahir Yasin al-Fahl) of Ramadi . The work examines fundamental principles and nuanced applications in the science of hadith terminology (mustalah al-hadith), focusing particularly on narrator divergence and methodological maxims of critical evaluation .
Scope and Content
The book explores several core problems in the critical study of hadith chains (asand) and texts (mutun):
- Narrator Divergence (Ikhtilaf) and Incongruity (Idtirab): The text defines transmission divergence linguistically and technically, establishing the conceptual boundary between general variance (ikhtilaf) and detrimental discrepancy (idtirab) . A report is classified as mudtarib only when conflicting transmission paths are of equal weight such that none can be preferred; if one path is weightier due to superior retention or closer companionship, the preferred path is adopted and the descriptor of idtirab does not apply .
- Categories and Causes of Transmission Differences: The work distinguishes between non-detrimental variance of expression (ikhtilaf tanawwu'), such as naming a narrator alternately by his given name, kunya, or title, and true conflicting divergence (ikhtilaf tadadd), which impairs a transmission when reconciling or preferring paths is impossible . It attributes such divergences to variations in innate human capacity, memory retention, attention to written originals, and temporary lapses .
- Methodological Rules (Fara'id al-Fawa'id): The book includes a concluding compendium of critical principles selected from the author's other writings and commentaries . These include the principle that solitary transmission (tafarrud) is not inherently a defect ('illah) but can point to hidden errors; that severely compromised narrators (matrukun or accused liars) are not salvaged by corroborating paths (mutaba'at); and that weak hadiths received with consensus of acceptance (talaqqi bi-l-qabul) are acted upon without being formally labeled sound (sahih) . It also details distinctions between specific evaluative phrases, such as al-Nasa'i's expressions laysa bi-qawiyy and laysa bi-l-qawiyy, and Yahya ibn Ma'in's use of laysa bi-shay' to denote paucity of narrations .
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