Zaydi criteria in accepting or rejecting ahadith

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8 years 3 weeks ago #133 by Imam Rassi Society
Thank you for your question! I don't know of any Zaydi books of Jahr wa Ta'dil. Our ulema have written on the topic, though. For example, the late Dr Murtaza al-Mahatwari wrote his doctoral thesis on the topic. Our imams and ulema have criticised reporters and narrators in various books however I am not familiar with a book or books dedicated exclusively to jahr wa ta'dil.

And Allah knows best!

IRS
The following user(s) said Thank You: Mohand

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8 years 2 weeks ago #134 by Mohand
Thank you for your answer ! So which books should we consult to know which narrator must be accepted or rejected ?

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8 years 2 weeks ago #138 by Imam Rassi Society
Thank you for your question! As to how should one know which narrator to accept or reject, that is not the responsibility of the average everyday Muslim. We are nowhere commanded to go through the arduous task of checking narrators' biographies to assess a hadith's authenticity. We are to focus on those things that are obligatory for us to believe and do. Jahr and ta'dil is not one of them.

You can consult the foundational books of fiqh such as Al-Ahkam and other texts and be assured that the ahadith of the imams have been assessed and scrutinized. There is also a book called Mukhtaar as-Saheeh which is a collection of those traditions declared to be saheeh by our ulema. No need to go behind them and check it yourself.

And Allah knows best!

IRS

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8 years 2 weeks ago #139 by Mohand
Many thanks, this two books are excellent !

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8 years 2 weeks ago #140 by Anwar
It is generally assumed that we mean hadeeth nabawy when we say hadeeth. But any orally preserved statement of any person is a hadeeth. I am assuming that many of the statements of the Imams are hadeeth that were passed down orally for a time until they were written down and hence have an isnaad. As the status of mutawaatir assures historical accuracy, are their sayings mutawaatir as well?

I understand what you have said about likely but why is so much left up in the air? In the end I understand that these aahad hadeeth could be true but if the authority and accuracy of these hadeeth are doubtful, why would we even incorporate them into what is obligatory in our religion, be they hadeeth of the imaams or the prophet? At least what is considered mutawaatir al-ma3aany could be taken as extremely likely to be historically valid with no need to doubt otherwise, making it something extremely and highly encouraged. But do the hadeeth of the prophet and the imaams even qualify for this status?

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8 years 2 weeks ago #142 by Imam Rassi Society
Thanks for your question!

As for the status of an ahaadi hadith in determining the obligation of something in the deen, I would pose the following question: When alcohol was declared haraam by Allah in the Holy Quran, it is reported that some of the Companions went to the others who werent in the immediate vicinity of the Prophet and declared that alcohol was haraam. Was the testimony of the Companion considered trustworthy to affect a hukm to those Companions who had not heard the ayat from the Quran?

It is for this reason and others that one of our imams, Imam Ahmed bin Yahya al-Murtaza (as) declared in his Al-Bahr az-Zakhkhaar that the reason that a hadith ahaadi can be used to determine an obligation is because it would be considered like the testimony of a just witness. And just as the Companions accepted the witness of an individual Companion, it is similarly admissible to accept the ahaaadi report in terms of obligations and even the huduud. I know that the last thing will open up a another can of worms ;) however Imam Ahmed (as) stated that the proof is that the Companions collectively accepted the ahaadi report from Amr bin Hazm regarding the diya (indemnity) that is to be paid, and they implemented it. Similarly, they all acted upon the report of Hamal bin Maalik regarding the punishment for killing two foetuses. Therefore, not only can an ahaadi report be used to establish an obligation but also a huduudpunishment.

The reason that ahaadi reports are considered less authoritative than mutawaatir is not because of the doubt that is in them but rather, the difference is like that of the testimonies of two reliable witnesses versus that of one hundred reliable witnesses. One is stronger and weightier than the other. This does not imply doubt in the testimony of two just witnesses.

As for the tawaatur of the statements of imams (as), these terms (ahaadi and mutawaatir) are typically reserved for the ahadith of the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam. I've never read or heard of these terms being applied to the statements of our imams (as).

And Allah knows best!

IRS

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