The Uloom (Sciences) required to understand ahadith
M. Rashid Hai

1.Ilm ar-Rijaal

 In this science the condition, births, deaths, teachers and students of narrators were gathered in detail and from these details judgments on the position of the narrators, as to whether they were truthful, trustworthy or unreliable, were made. This science is very interesting; details of over 500,000 narrators have been collated. In this science many books have been written. Some of them are:
  1. Tahdheeb al-Kaamil of Imaam Yoosuf Muzee (d.742H),
  2. Tadhkirratul-Huffaadh of ‘Allaamah Dhahabee (d.748H)
  3. Tahdheeb at-Tahdheeb of Haafidh Ibn Hajr (d. 852 H),
  4. Al-isabah fee Tameez as-sahaabah of Ibn Hajr
  5. Aain al-isabah of Suyuti- a summarized version of above book


2. Ilm Masatalah al-Hadeeth (Usool of Hadeeth)

 In the light of this knowledge the standards and rules of ahaadeeth, their authenticity and weakness were established. The famous books in this field are:
 i) Uloom al-Hadeeth al-Ma’aroof Muqqadimah of Ibn as-Salaah by Abu Amar Uthmaan Ibn as-Salaah (d.557H).
 ii) Tawjeeh an-Nadhar of ‘Allaamah Taahir Ibn Saalih al-Jazaa’iree (d.1338H)
 iii) Qawaid at-Tahdeeth of ‘Allaamah Sayyid Jamaal-ud-Deen Qaasimee (d.1332H)

 3. Ilm Ghareeb al-Hadeeth

 In this knowledge the meaning of difficult words (in Arabic) have been investigated and researched.
 i) al-Faaiq of Zamaksharee (d.538H).
 ii) an-Nihayah of al-Ma’aroof Ibn Aatheer (d.606H)

 4. Ilm Takhreej al-Hadeeth

 From this knowledge we find where a particular hadeeth pertaining to a particular science can be found from the well known books of tafseer (Exegesis of the Qur’aan), belief and jurisprudence. For example:
 i) al-Hidaayah of Burhaan-ud-Deen Alee Ibn Abee Bakr al-Margi’aanee (d.592H)
 ii) Ihyaa Uloom ud Deen of Abu Haamid Gazzaalee (d.505H)
 iii) Haafidh Zaila’ee’s (d.792H) book Nasb ur-Rayah
 iv) Haafidh Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee’s (d.852H) book ad-Diraayah and
 v) Haafidh Zayn-ud-Deen A’raaqi’s (d.806H) work al-Mugnee an Haml al-Asfaar.

 5. Ilm al-Hadeeth al-Mawdoo’ah

 In this science the people of knowledge have written books in which they separated the mawdoo (fabricated, forged) narration’s from the authentic ones. And from amongst the better known books are:
 i) Qaadhi ash-Shawkaanee’s (d.1255H) book Fawaa’id al-Majmoo’ah.
 ii) Jalaal-ud-Deen as-Suyootee’s (d.911H) book Ila Ala al-Masnoo’ah.

 6. Ilm Naaskh wal-Mansookh

 In this science one of the most famous works is that of Muhammad Ibn Moosaa Haazamee (d.784H at the age of 35) called Kitaab al-Ee’tibaar.

 7. Ilm at-Tawfeeq Bayn al-Hadeeth

 In this science the authentic (saheeh) ahaadeeth that seem to contradict each other have been explained and resolved.
 i) Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee (d.204H) first talked about this subject in his Risaalah famously known as Mukhtalif al-Hadeeth.
 ii) Imaam at-Tahawee’s (d.321H) work, Mushkil al-Aathaar.

 8. Ilm Mukhtalif wal-Ma’atalaf

 This science mentions the names of narrators, their kunyah’s, titles, parents, fathers or teachers, whose names may have shown similarities and due to this a person may have made a mistake:
 Ibn Hajr’s (d.852H) book, Ta’beer al-Munabbah, is a great example of this.

 9. Ilm Atraaf al-Hadeeth
 This science helps to find a narration, the book of hadeeth it may be found in and its
 narrators. For example the first part of the hadeeth:
 “Actions are but by intentions…”
 If you wanted to find all the words of a narration and its narrators then one would need to refer to this science and the detailed books authored in it.
 Kitaab Tuhfaa al-Ashraaf of Haafidh Muzanee (d.742H). It has a list of all the ahaadeeth in the six books.

10. Fiqh al -Hadeeth

 In this science all the authentic ahaadeeth related to rulings and commands were compiled. On this topic books that one may benefit from are:
 i) A’laam al-Muwaqqi’een of Shaykh-ul-Islaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d.751H)
 ii) Hujjatullah al-Balighaa of Shah Waleeullaah Dehlawee (d.1176H)
 iii) Abu Ubaid Qaasim Ibn Salaam’s book (d.224H) Kitaab al-Amwaal is famous.
 iv) Qaadhi Abu Yoosuf’s (d.182H) book Kitaab al-Akhraj.
 v) Kitaab al-Umm of Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee (d.204H), volume 7
 vi) Ar-Risaalah of Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee (d.204H)
 vii) Al-Muwaffiqaat of Imaam Abul Ishaaq ash-Shaatibee (d.790H), volume 4
 viii) Sawaa’iq al-Mursalah of Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d.751H), volume 2 and
 ix) Al-Ahkaam of Ibn Hazm al-Anduloosee (d.456H)

 In the history of the knowledge of hadeeth these books have a status:
 · Muqqadimmah Fathul-Baari of Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee (d.852H)
 · Jaami Bayaan al-Ilm of Haafidh Ibn Abdul Barr al-Anduloosee (d.463H)
 · Ma’arifah Uloom al-Hadeeth of Imaam Haakim (d.405H) and
 · Muqqaddimah Tuhfatul Ahwadhee Sharh Sunan at-Tirmidhee of Abdur-Rahmaan Muhaddith Mubarakpuri (d.1935)