Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiyatuh

Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiyatuh (The Solitary Report and Its Epistemic Authority) is a treatise on Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh) by the Mauritanian scholar Ahmad bin Abd al-Wahhab al-Shinqiti, examining the epistemic value and legal validity of solitary hadith transmissions (ahad) in creedal and legal matters Manhaj al-Shaykh Muhammad…+1.

Background and Purpose

The book was originally composed as a Master's thesis at Umm al-Qura University al-Thabat wa al-Shumul fi…. The author noted that he selected the subject after returning to advanced academic studies following years of teaching Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy…. He was prompted by debates among scholars regarding the impermissibility of using solitary reports to establish theological doctrines (‘aqa’id) on the premise that such reports impart only probable knowledge (zann), whereas matters of faith require definitive knowledge (qat‘) Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy…+1. Al-Shinqiti framed the inquiry from the perspective of legal theory, examining the transmission of the Prophetic Sunnah as the second foundational source of Islamic jurisprudence after the Quran Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….

Methodology

Al-Shinqiti structured his analysis by detailing the divergent views of scholars, presenting their respective proofs, examining objections and counter-arguments, and stating his preferred conclusion (tarjih) based on the text of the Quran, the Sunnah, or definitive consensus (ijma‘ qat‘i) Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….

Structure and Contents

The work is organized into an introduction, a preliminary overview (tamhid), two main parts (bab), and a conclusion Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy…:

• Preliminary Overview (al-Tamhid): Covers foundational definitions and concepts, divided into five areas: the nature and divisions of a report (khabar) in language and technical terminology, including al-Jahiz's view on an intermediate state between truth and falsehood; the definition of the Sunnah; the classification of the Sunnah into sayings, actions, and tacit approvals (taqrir); the relationship and legislative independence of the Sunnah relative to the Quran; and the division of reports into mass-transmitted (mutawatir), solitary (ahad), and well-known (mashhur) Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
• Part One (al-Bab al-Awwal): Focuses on the epistemic value imparted by solitary reports (Fi ma yufiduhu khabar al-wahid), containing three chapters:
  1. The position that solitary reports from an upright narrator impart only probable knowledge (zann) Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
  2. The position that solitary reports impart certain knowledge (‘ilm) Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
  3. The position that solitary reports impart certain knowledge when accompanied by corroborating contextual evidence (qara’in), concluding with the practical outcomes of the dispute (thamarat al-khilaf) Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
• Part Two (al-Bab al-Thani): Focuses on the legal obligation to act upon solitary reports (Fi hukm al-‘amal bihi), divided into seven chapters:
  1. The obligation to act upon solitary reports Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
  2. Arguments of those who deny the authority of solitary reports and their refutations Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
  3. Relying on solitary reports in legal opinions (fatwa), testimony (shahadah), and worldly transactions Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
  4. Accepting solitary reports in fixed penal prescribed punishments (hudud) Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
  5. Solitary reports in relation to the practice of the people of Medina (‘amal ahl al-Madinah) Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
  6. Solitary reports concerning matters of widespread public necessity (ma ta‘ummu bihi al-balwa) Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
  7. Instances where a narrator's personal action contradicts their own narration Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….
• Conclusion (Khatimah): Summarizes the findings of the study, noting that even if an unaccompanied solitary report does not independently generate certainty, acting upon its implications remains obligatory in both core tenets (usul) and derived rulings (furu‘), and that solitary reports accompanied by corroborating indicators yield certain knowledge Khabar al-Wahid wa Hujjiy….

Publication

The work was published by the Academic Council and the Deanship of Scientific Research at the Islamic University of Madinah al-Tasنيف fi al-Sunna al-…+1.