The Reasons for Ḥadīth Narration: Its Significance and Literature: A Methodological and Critical Study

"أسباب وُرُوْد الحديثِ" أهميّتُه وكتبُه: دراسةٌ منهجيةٌ نقديّةٌ

Abstract

"The Reason for Ḥadīth Narration" is one of the most significant disciplines of Ḥadīth textual studies which plays a crucial role in the accurate understanding of the Prophetic traditions. This discipline holds a distinguished position among the various sciences of Ḥadīth and its proper understanding is essential for the students of Ḥadīth. It enables them to understand the rulings of Islamic law, its objectives, and the social conditions of the Muslim community during the time of the Prophet (SAW) in differentiating between rulings that apply universally to the entire Ummah and those that are tied to specific circumstances that no longer apply once those circumstances have ceased. Nevertheless, this discipline did not receive significant attention from Ḥadīth scholars until relatively late. Ḥāfiẓ al-Bulqīnī, Abū Ḥafṣ Sirāj al-Dīn ʿUmar ibn Raslān al-Miṣrī (d. 805 AH), was the first to emphasize its importance in his book Maḥāsin al-Iṣṭilāḥ wa-Tadhmīn Kalām Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ. In this work, he summarized the famous Muqaddimah Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ and added several valuable categories, including the “Reason for Ḥadīth Narration.” Following this, some scholars dedicated independent works to this discipline, and contemporary researchers have also shown interest in the field. They have produced studies that define the discipline, emphasize its significance, and highlight its place within the broader sciences of Ḥadīth. These contributions include both academic papers and applied studies, which warrant further exploration and dissemination. However, I have found that no one has yet comprehensively addressed this subject. This has motivated me to explore it in this paper, with the aim of defining the "Science of the Reasons for Ḥadīth Narration" and highlighting its significance in deriving Islamic legal rulings. Furthermore, I examine the attention given by Ḥadīth scholars to the terminology and sciences of Ḥadīth in their works. This includes a systematic study of the books specifically dedicated to this discipline, focusing on the unique features of each. These aspects remain largely unknown to many students of Ḥadīth and researchers in this field. In this paper, inductive, descriptive, and critical methodologies were employed. The inductive approach was used to collect and trace relevant materials on the subject; the descriptive method was used to outline the approaches taken in composing these works; and the critical method was used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these books.