Journal of Hadith Studies
Year:2012 | Volume:4 | Issue:7|Papers Count:10

In many narrations the pure Imams introduce Fatemah as a person to whom angels speak. This description is not confined to her, but in some narrations Fatemah is stated to have this virtue. The sum of these discourses is collected in the scripture of Fatemah and was available to the Imams. There are many narrations from the people of the household in this regard which besides demonstrating this virtue, the place of the interlocutor is explained in a way that leaves no confusion. In the sense mentioned in the narrations by both Sunnis and Shiites, this could occur also to other than the Prophets, but Shiite narrations introduce its instances and count its form and representations. These sources explain the content of what the angels said to Fatemah, too.

Sayyid Abdollah Shubbar in Masabih al-Anwar fi Hal Mushkilat al-Akhbarargues that the reason of the difficulty of the meaning of some narrations is due to their incompatibility with others and he, therefore, endeavoures to explain away this incompatibility. Having mentioned different views on solving the incompatibility Shubbar sometimes explains the preponderant view, but sometimes mentions the view with no preponderance and suffices with offering different probabilities. In order to explain this incompatibility between narrations and other proofs he employs certain methods, such as manipulation and expanding the meaning of words, using the sciences of Arabic language, interpreting as an indication of allowance and recommendation, interpreting as indicating difference in ranks, interpreting as an explanation of instances, interpreting as indicating the dominant meaning and special time, interpreting as the particular that indicates the general and the absolute that refers to the limited, interpreting as a means to education or bounty and mercy or explaining the means and tools, mentioning the probability of text corruption, paying attention to the date and the occasion of the narration, and the situation of interlocutor. He employs this method to bring together the meanings of the apparently incompatible narrations.This article is an attempt to study and discuss these mentioned methods.

The necessity of employing similar terms and literature in the field of Islamic sciences and especially the study of hadith is one of the subjects which have been neglected by Muslim scholars. Of these sciences is the science of understanding hadith which is known by different names, such as “the principles of hadith”, “the term hadith” and “the rules of hadith”. These titles are more common in the books of Sunnis and the Shiite sources mainly use the term “Understanding Hadith”. In this article the following issues have been discussed:First, what is the subject of the science of understanding hadith with reference to the books written on this science? Which title is more appropriate for this science? Is the term understanding hadith was first introduced by the second martyr or he has taken this term from others? This article is an attempt to answer these questions and it concludes that the subject of this science is the documents of hadith. Unlike what is commonly known, the second martyr did not establish this title. Finally it introduces “the term hadith” as the proper title of this science.

Sheikh Nasir al-Din Albani, is one of the most influential and prolific Sunni authors and a student of Hadith and a follower of the sect of Salafiah, who offered a new approach to textual criticism. He follows certain principles in editing and evaluating hadith and textual criticism. Albani in the study of each hadith first looks for the text of hadith in reliable books and once he trust the citation of hadith in the reliable books of hadith he attempts to evaluate it and if he finds it is authentic he believes it is necessary to evaluate the text by referring to certain principles, such as agreement with the holy Quran or tradition or reason and experience. This article attempts to introduce and explain Albani’s method in critiquing texts of hadith and it shows at the same time that his method in some cases is not reliable.

One of the people whose views on tradition caused much controversy is Mahmood Abu Riyyah. In his book Adhwaala al- Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah he discusses certain issues which could not be acceptable to the Sunni students of hadith and, therefore, they accused him of opposing tradition. In contrast, his views on the Sunni circles of hadith have been greatly welcomed in the Shiite world, especially in Iran.In this article the researchers besides discussing the views of Abu Riyyah on tradition attempt to show this truth that although Abu Riyyah does not openly oppose tradition and some of his views on the critique of the existing hadith in the Sunni circles of hadith are correct and, therefore, the researchers reject the accusation that he is against tradition, nevertheless because of this advantage no one should ignore the hidden layers of his views and their dire consequences. In some cases he has spoken of tradition in such a way that the result could be nothing but the denial of tradition, and accepting his views will undermine the very origin of tradition, though he has expressed these views in criticizing the current sources of hadith of the Sunnis rather than rejecting the authority of tradition.

One of the old Imamate works is Ubeidollah Ibn Abi Rafi’s al- Sunan wal Ahkam wal Qadhaya, a well-known work whose text existed independently till the fourth or perhaps the fifth century. Nevertheless in the circles of Imamate hadith, especially the four Books, the book has not been cited and in other Imamate books of hadith only three narrations rare elated in whose chains the name of Ubeidollah is mentioned. In the present article it is demonstrated that probably his book is the same Al-Sunan wal Ahkam wal Qadhaya by Muhammad Ibn Qays al-Bajali (died AH 151), which is the text of Ibn Rafi’s book showed to Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, with some narrations from him added to the book by Muhammad Ibn Qays al- Bajali.

“Addition and Detraction” in narrations, in the sense of adding or detracting something from them, is one of the defects which has found its way into hadith and to identify and pay attention to its undesirable consequences need a comprehensive research. Scholars of hadith have always paid attention to this defect and believe one of the preliminary steps in using hadith is to purify hadith from this defect, for even a little change and adding to or detracting from hadith would prevent us from grasping the main intention of the immaculate Imam. Therefore, paying attention to the defect of “addition and detraction” is of much importance. The present article adopts a descriptive-analytic method to investigate this phenomenon and tries to study its kinds, reasons and consequences in hadith.

The main question of this research is the possibility that believers may indeed join the people of the household. This research is a conceptual and archival study of the hadith “Salman is one of us, the people of the household” in the light of the science of Shiite hadith, which is a proper approach to finding a scientific answer to this question. It shows that the statement “Salman is one of us, the people of the household” in the science of Shiite hadith has been the subject at least of a few traditions, which are related to the function of “the people of the household” in the holy Quran. This statement in so far as the diction is concerned is repeatedly narrated. The documents of the traditions in which these words have been used comprise a wide range which includes weak, documented, good, and correct narrations. Nevertheless, it can be said that the sum of traditions in which this statement comes in so far as the documents are concerned are correct and in meaning are firm. This article shows that the view of the Shiite leaders on the possibility of the believers joining the people of the household, peace be upon them, is positive and is based on certain criteria. Moreover, the main criteria considered for the Shiite leaders and the most important one that makes Salman entre the circle of the people of the household is his special knowledge, that knowledge which certainly makes him aware of the previous religions.

Zay al-Din Ibn Ali Amili (died AH 965), known as the Second Martyr, is one of the great Shiite expert in transmission of hadith of the recent era. The views of this scholar on transmission can be seen in his invaluable comments on Khulasat al-Aqual by al-Allamah al- Hilli. He is one of the distinguished researchers of narrations in the two fields of transmitters and hadith. In his study of the state of the narrators his independent objective views are conspicuous. The second martyr as one of the eminent critiques of transmission of hadith used to investigate narrations and narrators with caution and precision. He sometimes prefers even to put more emphasis on the defects and weakness of the narrators rather than on modifying or endorsing them. His great emphasis on evidence, strict policy in the evaluation of the trustworthiness of the narrators, and paying less attention to contexts indicating the correctness of hadith are examples of his strict positions.Of course in modifying this viewpoint one should not ignore certain issues like the trustworthiness of the people of consensus and also the Sheikhs who give permissions [to narrate], or the needlessness of the condition of belief and recording. In any case, considering all intellectual aspects of this expert in transmission will help us to have a fair judgment in this regard.