Hadith Methodoloy: Authenticity, Compilation, Classification and Criticism of Hadith

Written as a university textbook, the present volume provides a wide-ranging coverage of hadith methodology and literature for intermediate to advanced readers of the discipline. It is concerned with the methods the ulama and scholars of hadith have developed and utilised in order to ascertain the authenticity of hadith and the accuracy of its text. The book offers a certain insight into the history of hadith, its compilation and documentation as well as methods that seek to identify obvious and subtle defects in hadith. Attention is drawn to the criteria of hadith criticism (al-jarh wa'l-ta'dil), and the various classifications of hadith that help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of its subject matter. The book also provides a critical review of the discipline and advances reform proposals that seek to enhance reliability of the existing hadith collections. Dr. Mohammad Hashim Kamali is Professor of Law at the International Islamic University Malaysia where he has been teaching Islamic Law and Jurisprudence since 1985. He is internationally well-known for his longstanding contribution to the discipline and has taught the subject in various institutions of higher learning in Britain, United States and Canada.