The Accuracy of Narrators and Methods of Their Identification

الملخص

Abstract

There is no doubt that the concept of Ḍabṭ al-Rāwī (narrator accuracy) is one of the fundamental and essential issues in the science of Uṣūl al-Ḥadīth (principles of hadith). It is considered one of the five essential conditions for the authenticity of a hadith. However, discussions on this topic are dispersed throughout the works of early scholars and predecessors, may Allah have mercy on them. This dispersion presents a significant challenge, urging us to collect and compile relevant materials from the primary sources dedicated to this field. Through such efforts, the concept of narrator accuracy and the methods of identifying it can be clarified. This allows us to distinguish between narrations transmitted by reliable narrators (ruwāt ḍābiṭ) and those transmitted by others. It also highlights the noble efforts of the great hadith scholars in preserving the Prophetic tradition against the attacks of its detractors. Furthermore, it makes evident that the hadith narrations transmitted by the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah are authentic, and their narrators are reliable, well-known, and established. There is no ambiguity, weakness, or anonymity in their chains of transmission—unlike the narrations and transmitters associated with sects such as the Rāfiḍah.

Keywords: narrator, narration, methods, identification, accuracy