Understanding hadith trends and being aware of different approaches to hadith not only provides a more accurate understanding of the intellectual developments in the Qom Seminary, but also provides the basis for future thinking in the field of hadith studies.
According to Ashura News, quoted by Mehr reporter, Hadith is the main source of Islamic teachings and rulings after the verses of the Holy Quran and plays an important and prominent role in all Islamic sciences such as Quranic interpretation, principles of jurisprudence, theology, philosophy, history, ethics and mysticism. The Holy Quran states the fundamental principles of faith, ethics and rulings, and its explanation, elaboration and application in various situations require the explanation and interpretation of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Ahlul Bayt (AS). What you will read below is a review of the Hadith movements of the Qom Seminary in the last hundred years, written by Hojjat al-Islam Mohammad Haeri Shirazi:
In the past century, the Qom Seminary has become an important center for rethinking the field of Hadith and Hadith sciences. Since the re-establishment of this seminary by the late Ayatollah Hajj Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi, numerous Hadith movements have emerged, each of which has presented a different picture of the relationship between Hadith, Quran, reason and Islamic tradition.
Three main approaches to dealing with hadith
The approach to hadith in this era can be classified into three broad approaches: maximal, moderate, and minimal.
The maximalist movement believes that the principle is to accept hadith and that it is only possible to reject it in special cases. This movement, which is sometimes known as the "news" or "hadith-oriented" movement, has a maximalist view of narrative texts and has expressed a range of maximalist, moderate, and minimal approaches within itself.
In contrast, the minimal movement, whose roots are found in the thinking of Sunni Quranists and their Shiite branches, insists on the principle that only narrations that are definitively consistent with the Quran are valuable. This movement has viewed the hadith tradition with extreme caution in the face of incidents such as forgery and distortion of hadith and has conditioned the acceptance of narrations to strict criteria.
The middle stream, which includes the most prominent figures of the Qom seminary such as Ayatollah Boroujerdi, Imam Khomeini, Allameh Tabataba'i, and Ayatollah Marefat, has refined the tradition of narration by drawing specific criteria between absolute acceptance and complete rejection of hadith. While preserving the sanctity of hadith, this stream has also adhered to its scientific criticism.
The development of peripheral sciences of hadith
One of the important developments in the Qom seminary has been the expansion of attention to peripheral sciences of hadith such as the history of hadith, the status and causes of hadith, and jurisprudence of hadith. Although these sciences have not yet become complete and independent streams, prominent researchers such as the scholars of Islam Seyyed Muhammad Kazem Tabataba'i, Professor Mahdavi Rad, and Abdul Hadi Mas'udi have laid solid foundations for these branches.
Looking at the history of hadith has enabled a better understanding of the developments within the narrational texts and has opened the way for more accurate judgments in the space of hadith criticism. On the other hand, topics such as the pathology of narrations and the study of hadith distortions have played a decisive role in explaining the validity of narrations.
Criticism of Hadith in the Seminar
Although the criticism of Sunni hadith has not been very prominent in the Qom seminary and is mostly associated with the name of Allamah Sayyid Murtaza Askari, the criticism of Shiite hadiths has had a special place in this seminary. Figures such as Allamah Sharani and Nematullah Salehi Najafabadi have tried to redefine the place of hadith in religious knowledge with a scientific and fair perspective.
Currents of correction, research, and revival of hadith texts
The importance of correcting hadith texts in the last hundred years is clearly evident in the works of figures such as Ali Akbar Ghaffari (in correcting the Four Books), Rabbani Shirazi (in correcting Wasa’il-Shi’a and Bihar-ul-Anwar), and Allama Sharani (in correcting Sharh-e-Kafi). The Dar al-Hadith Institute has also played an irreplaceable role in reviving the hadith tradition by training committed researchers.
Different approaches to authenticating hadith
Hadith research in Qom shows that four major approaches to authenticating hadith have emerged, each with its own foundations and results:
1- Narrator-centered, parallelist
This trend, which is known for the views of the late Ayatollah Seyyed Hussein Boroujerdi, relies on the centrality of narrators in evaluating hadiths. However, it is not enough to simply confirm or explicitly weaken the jurists; Rather, it also uses evidence such as the narrator's religion, narrative class, social status, and religious attributions in its analysis. The book Jamia Hadith Shia is a symbol of this method, which offers a type of validation that combines direct description and anecdotal analysis.
2- Narrator-centered textual
This approach, represented by figures such as the late Ayatollah Seyyed Abul-Qasim Khoei and his students such as the late Ayatollah Mirza Javad Tabrizi, relies on direct narrative texts and reports. In this view, the validity or invalidity of a hadith is determined based on explicit confirmations or denials found in narrative sources, without the need for further anecdotal analysis.
3- List analysis
In the list analysis approach, which has been highlighted by the research of Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Madadi, the validation of a hadith is carried out through an analysis of the structure of index books and primary narrative sources. This school of thought believes that predecessors such as Sheikh Najashi and Ibn Walid used this method to evaluate hadith in the early centuries. List analysis, with an emphasis on identifying the style of composition and compilation of indexes, reexamines the credibility of narrators and hadith collections.
4- Pure evidence-based
Without a specific focus on narrators or indexes, this approach relies on searching for supporting or opposing evidence to validate hadiths. Any content, historical, social, or intellectual evidence that can help evaluate a narration is valuable in this method. This school has a more flexible view of the issue of validation and sees its method as free from the traditional constraints of rijarism.
Centers Active in the Field of Hadith Studies in Qom
The expansion and deepening of these scientific trends in the Qom region is largely due to the scientific institutions and specialized centers that have been established in recent decades:
The Dar al-Hadith Scientific and Cultural Institute, founded in 1995 at the initiative of Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi Rayshahri, has become one of the centers of contemporary Hadith studies by focusing on Hadith education and research.
The Al-Bayt Institute for the Revival of Heritage, under the guidance of Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Javad al-Shahristani (the plenipotentiary representative of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali al-Sistani), Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Ali Khorasani, and Sheikh Mohammad Najaf, has organized valuable activities in the field of revitalizing ancient Hadith texts.
The Noor Islamic Sciences Computer Research Center has facilitated researchers' access to authentic sources by using modern technologies and producing Hadith software.
The Islamic Propaganda Office of the Qom Seminary, especially through the Research Center for Islamic Sciences and Culture, has played an effective role in expanding scientific research in the field of Hadith by establishing specialized research centers.
Other centers such as the Library of Ayatollah Shahab al-Din Marashi Najafi, the Qom Academy of Islamic Sciences, the Islamic Culture Revival Forum, the Seminary's Specialized Center for Hadith, and the Specialized Center for the Education of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) have also played a significant role in developing Hadith activities.
Understanding Hadith movements and being aware of different approaches to Hadith not only provides a more accurate understanding of the intellectual developments of the Qom Seminary, but also provides the ground for future-looking research in the field of Hadith. Only with this knowledge can one reread the Hadith tradition in the contemporary scientific environment with a critical and methodical perspective and avoid excesses in this field.
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