Hadiths Criticized by Scholars for Textual Anomaly: An Applied Analytical Study in Light of Al-Dāraqutnī’s Al-ʿIlal (Selected Examples

Abstract

This research addresses the issue of critiquing the texts (matn) of hadith by the scholars of hadith, through an applied analytical study of the hadiths presented by Imam al-Daraqutni in his book al-‘Ilal al-Warida fi al-Ahadith (The Defects Found in Hadiths). The scholarly critique of hadith by early scholars was not limited to examining the chains of narration (isnad) alone, but also encompassed the texts themselves, particularly where anomalies or irregularities appeared that contradicted established legal principles or verified truths. technically, distinguishing it from strangeness in the chain

of transmission (gharaba sanadī), while presenting the criteria used by scholars to detect manifestations of strangeness. The research also outlined al-Daraqutni’s critical methodology through his biography, highlighting the main features of his approach in addressing textual defects, emphasizing the precision of his observations and his comparative analyses of narrations

      The applied section of the study was devoted to examining five hadiths that al-Daraqutni criticized for the strangeness of their texts, analyzing their chains of narration, identifying points of discrepancy and disorder, and giving preference among the narrations. The study demonstrated that textual criticism constitutes an essential aspect of the scholars’ efforts to preserve the Sunnah from corruption and disorder, and that al-Daraqutni was distinguished by the accuracy of his method in combining critique of both the isnad and the matn. The research concluded that textual strangeness reveals the depth of the critics’ understanding of prophetic methods and represents one of their tools for safeguarding the noble Sunnah.