Historical Criticism Theory Among Orientalists in Studying the Prophetic Biography, Example From ibn Shihab al-Zuhri's Hadiths, A Critical Study
Tez Türü: Doktora
Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Yarmuk Üniversitesi, İlahiyat, Hadis, Ürdün
Tez Danışmanı: Prof. Dr. Mohammad Zuhair Al-Mohammad
Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2024
Tezin Dili: Arapça
Desteklendiği Program: Diğer
Özet:
ABSTRACT
This study explores the theory of historical criticism used by Orientalists in the study of the Prophet’s biography, taking the Hadiths narrated by Imam Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri as a model. The research examines the studies of four Orientalists who employed isnad and textual criticism as one of the methods of historical criticism, discussing their views and critiques related to the Hadiths narrated by Imam al-Zuhri in the Prophet's biography.
This study aims to outline the methodology of Orientalists in the study of Hadith in general, with a particular focus on the isnad and textual criticism approach in the works of four specific Orientalists, and their stance on Hadith and the Prophet's biography. To achieve this, three methodologies were adopted: the inductive method, the analytical method, and the critical method.
The importance of this study lies in analyzing the conclusions reached by Orientalists through the use of the isnad and textual criticism methodology, which was adopted later, and in highlighting the differences between this methodology and other methodologies used by Orientalists.
The study revealed that despite using different methodologies and proposing some new ideas, the Orientalists are still greatly influenced by each other's views and ultimately arrive at similar conclusions.
The study concluded that the isnad and textual criticism methodology is the closest to the method used by Muslim scholars. However, the primary difference lies in the study's objective; while Muslim scholars compare the narrator’s report with those of other narrators to gather information about the narrator and the narrated content, Orientalists in isnad and textual criticism aim to determine the time when the Hadith was fabricated and to identify the narrator who fabricated it. The most significant difference between the isnad and textual criticism methodology and other methodologies used by Orientalists is that the latter attribute the responsibility for the first appearance or dating of the Hadith to the common narrator—who usually corresponds to the generation of Imam al-Zuhri. In contrast, the isnad and textual criticism methodology dates the Hadith back to the generation of the Tabi'un (the followers). Orientalists who adopt the isnad and textual criticism methodology do not focus on examining the authenticity of the chains of transmission (isnads) and the texts (matns). Instead, they focus solely on comparing the narrations of the narrators in each generation, without verifying the authenticity of the isnad or the reliability of the narrators. In terms of textual criticism, they adopt a more stringent approach when dealing with topics that contain Islamic elements, claiming that these elements are often fabricated or influenced by events found in Christianity and Judaism. They also accept that the texts of the Hadiths have changed over time at the hands of the Hadith scholars, particularly to align with the information found in the Quran.
Keywords: Al-Zühri, Hadith, Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, Historical Criticism, Orientalism, Orientalists.