Daf Iham Taarud Ahadith al-Ahkam fi Kitab al-Tahara
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- Daf Iham Taarud Ahadith al-Ahkam fi Kitab al-Tahara
Daf Iham Taarud Ahadith al-Ahkam fi Kitab al-Tahara (دفع إيهام تعارض أحاديث الأحكام في كتاب الطهارة, "Dispelling the Illusion of Contradiction in the Hadiths of Legal Rulings in the Book of Purification") is a specialized work in the field of Hadith sciences by Dr. Ruqayyah bint Muhammad al-Muharib. The book examines and harmonizes ostensibly conflicting prophetic traditions concerning the legal rulings of ritual purity.
Background and Composition
The work originated as a Master's thesis submitted to the Department of Islamic Studies (specializing in Hadith and its sciences) in 1410 AH (1989 CE). The author was motivated by the desire to address scholarly disagreements arising from varying interpretations or apparent contradictions among legal texts, seeking to reconcile these traditions and defend the prophetic Sunnah against detractors. She noted that earlier treatises on the subject, such as those by al-Shafi'i and Ibn Qutaybah, addressed only a limited portion of conflicting traditions, leaving many legal matters unaddressed. In Sha'ban 1431 AH (2010 CE), she prepared an abridged edition for publication by condensing the exhaustive technical analyses of biographical transmitters, chains of transmission (isnad), and supporting pathways, while retaining the hadith citations, scholarly assessments, and final conclusions.
Scope and Structure
The study addresses 115 hadiths involving apparent contradictions. It is organized into an introduction, seven main chapters, and a conclusion:
- Preliminary Section (al-Tamhid): Encompasses three topics: the linguistic and technical definitions of contradiction (ta'arud) and its causes; the definition and principles of preference (tarjih); and a survey of prior literature on conflicting hadiths.
- Chapter 1: Water and Impurities (Bab al-Miyah wa-l-Najasat): Covers nine issues, including the effect of impurity entering water, using water left over by a woman, dog saliva (su'r al-kalb), cat saliva, semen, carrion hides, facing or turning one's back to the qiblah when relieving oneself, purifying land from urine, and urinating while standing.
- Chapter 2: Vessels (Bab al-Aniyah): Addresses one issue concerning the use of vessels belonging to non-Muslims.
- Chapter 3: Ablution (Bab al-Wudu'): Contains eight issues, including eating cooked meat, touching the private parts, sleep as an invalidator of ablution, pronouncing the basmalah before wudu, rinsing the mouth and sniffing water into the nose, running fingers through a dense beard, applying depilatory paste (al-itla' bi-l-nurah), and drying oneself with a towel after ablution.
- Chapter 4: Ritual Bath (Bab al-Ghusl): Examines six issues, including requirements for a person in major ritual impurity (junub) wishing to sleep, eat, or repeat intercourse; the obligation of ghusl upon intercourse without ejaculation; Friday bath (ghusl al-jumu'ah); bathing after washing a deceased person; rubbing the head during ghusl; and covering oneself when bathing in privacy.
- Chapter 5: The Tooth-Stick (Bab al-Siwak): Discusses the ruling of using the siwak while fasting.
- Chapter 6: Menstruation and Non-Menstrual Bleeding (Bab al-Hayd wa-l-Istihadah): Covers three issues: allowable intimacy with a menstruating spouse, whether a woman with chronic bleeding relies on her regular menstrual habit or blood discrimination, and how such a woman purifies herself for prayer.
- Chapter 7: Dry Ablution (Bab al-Tayammum): Details the specific description and method of performing tayammum.
- Conclusion (al-Khatimah): Summarizes the primary findings of the research.
The author states in the book's introduction that it covers nineteen issues, whereas the conclusion records twenty-nine issues.
Methodology
The author employed a systematic methodology across the investigated issues:
- Collecting outwardly contradictory hadiths in purification by drawing upon classical literature on conflicting hadiths (mukhtalif al-hadith), primary Sunnah collections, legal hadith commentaries, and jurisprudence (fiqh) works.
- Selecting the most contextually fitting narration to serve as the baseline text for transmission and textual analysis, quoting it with its chain of narrators and specific source references.
- Performing takhrij (trace analysis) for the narration: narrations located in Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim were recorded without detailing supplementary chains due to their established authenticity, whereas narrations outside the two Sahihs were examined across multiple supporting lines (mutaba'at).
- Investigating the reliability and uprightness of the narrators, verifying continuity of transmission, and citing scholars' authentications.
- Presenting opposing narrations through the same analytical stages, defining the precise nature of the conflict, and summarizing scholars' arguments chronologically.
- Resolving every conflict using one of three standard legal-hadith mechanisms: abrogation (naskh), preference (tarjih), or reconciliation (jam'), followed by the author's reasoned conclusion on the preferred ruling.
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