Inayat al-Ulama bil-Isnad wa Ilm al-Jarh wa al-Tadil - Salih al-Rifa'i
- Author died
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- Editions
- King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Medina
Inayat al-Ulama bil-Isnad wa Ilm al-Jarh wa al-Tadil (The Scholars' Care for the Chain of Transmission and the Science of Impugnment and Validation) is a specialized treatise on Hadith methodology by Salih Hamid al-Rifa'i . The work examines the role of the chain of transmission (isnad) and the critical evaluation of narrators (al-jarh wa al-ta'dil) in safeguarding the Prophetic Sunnah .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was originally prepared as a research contribution for the seminar titled Inayat al-Mamlakah al-Arabiyyah al-Sa'udiyyah bil-Sunnah wal-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (The Care of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the Prophetic Sunnah and Biography), organized by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Medina . The author's objective was to demonstrate how the systematic documentation of narrators and transmission chains during the first three Islamic centuries served as a unique safeguard for the preservation of the Prophet's traditions .
Structure and Contents
Following an introduction on divine preservation of the Quran and the Sunnah as the twin sources of Islamic legislation, the book is structured into two main chapters and a conclusion :
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Chapter One: The Scholars' Care for the Chain of Transmission and its Impact on Preserving the Prophetic Sunnah
Divided into four sections, this chapter examines the linguistic and technical definitions of isnad , the status of isnad as an exclusive distinguishing feature of the Islamic community compared to earlier religious traditions , the scholarly importance accorded to transmission paths , and the direct effects of this dedication on preserving Hadith texts . -
Chapter Two: The Scholars' Care for the Science of Impugnment and Validation and its Impact on Preserving the Prophetic Sunnah
Comprising four sections, this chapter addresses the technical definition of ilm al-jarh wa al-ta'dil, the historical factors and catalysts behind its inception, the methods scholars used to scrutinize narrator reliability, and how this discipline protected the Sunnah from distortion and unauthentic attributions .
The work concludes with a summary of the author's findings and research recommendations .
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