Critical Terminology in the Methodology of Imam al-BukhariA Methodological Study of Hadith Evaluation

Abstract

This research examines the critical terminology of Imam al-Bukhari. These imams, and others, knew the narrators, their hadiths, and what the narrators got right and what they erred in. Anyone who engages in this great science knows their worth and status.

These imams used terms that were common or readily available to students of knowledge at the time to evaluate and criticize narrators. These terms were not common—meaning that they were used by the people of a particular country or profession—and they did not always explicitly state their intended meaning behind these terms. Some of these terms were not readily apparent to those who came after them, so they went on to extrapolate them from their own work. This extrapolation sometimes came out to be very precise, almost close to the intent of the criticizing imam, while other times it went far off, depending on the number of examples or the ability and memory of the examiner. Al-Bukhari was accepted and praised by all imams throughout history. Al-Hafiz Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi elaborated on Al-Bukhari’s status in the centers of Islam: the people of Basra, the Hijazis, the Kufians, the Baghdadis, the people of Rayy, and Khorasan. Therefore, he was worthy of study.

Keywords: Critical terminology, Imam al-Bukhari, study methodology, criteria for authentication, hadith evaluation, the science of criticism and modification, hadith authenticity, critical terminology in hadith sciences.