Criteria for the Critique of Hadith Texts in the Thought of Ayatollah Jaʿfar Subḥānī

Abstract

Hadith criticism, aimed at examining the validity of the content of narrations, is one of the important hadith sciences for understanding hadith. This study examines Ayatollah Subḥānī’s approach to fiqh al-ḥadīth using a descriptive–analytical and library-based method. Ayatollah Subḥānī endorses the method of some early scholars regarding the critique of hadith content and proposes five general criteria—the Qur’an, the Sunnah, reason, history, and the consensus of Muslims—as standards for evaluating the chains of transmission of narrations. Based on these criteria, he subjects to critique certain narrations well known among Sunnis that have been reported by prominent transmitters. This method can resolve conflicting and anomalous reports and facilitate the identification of authentic narrations.