Part 2 

Chapter 1: Reasons behind Emergence of `Ilm Dirayat al-Hadith

Unfortunately on account of various reasons, some of which we shall mention shortly, the hadith did not remain immune from forgery and other problems. A great number of incorrect traditions found way into collections of prophetic sayings. The task of separating genuine traditions from apocryphal material was as necessary as that of removing weeds from a flower bed; as in case of weeds, their identification and removal was not an easy task, nor could they be left to flourish untouched, threatening the genuine material itself. This was the reason why religious scholars, in their capacity as vigilant gardeners of the Faith, began to look for ways of separating forged material from genuine hadith. They needed new tools for this task, which was not an easy one, as is evident from the fact that despite centuries of scholarly efforts the remnants of these dangerous and destructive weeds have continued to survive.

As to how these weeds found their way into the flower beds of prophetic tradition, here are some of the important reasons:

1. There were some who wilfully sprinkled the seeds of such weeds, and dedicatedly looked after their growth and survival. Amongst them were supporters of Banu Umayyah and other opponents of Islam who dissembled adherence to it.¹
2. Emergence of various sects in Islam led to forgeries by followers of different sects who wished to produce documentary evidence in favour of their own sect and to detriment of their opponents.²
3. Fabrications made by the devout about virtues of piety and abstinence from evil, who imagined that by this means they would be better equipped to guide others.³
4. Inclusion of Jewish myths, a process which was stimulated by the popular sense of curiosity and the people’s interest in the lives and times of former prophets. Such imaginative accounts are replete in narrations regarding the lives and deeds of prophets – such as the account related by al-Tabari on the authority of Ibn Munabbih. According to this account, the serpent, formerly, had hands and legs; but since it allowed the Devil to enter its belly, God had made its limbs to sink into its stomach!⁴
5. Tribal and regional prejudices and rivalries, which incited some to forge traditions to be produced as evidence of their superiority over others – as is evident from traditions related to some cities.
6. Personal ambition was another stimulant which prompted some to be included among the scholars of hadith through forgery.
7. Fabrication of hadith as a means of procurement of personal gain or of earning goodwill of the caliph in power.⁵
8. Controversies and differences among jurists (fuqaha’) prompted some scholars to fabricate traditions to be invoked in support of their own legal positions.
9. Story-tellers and reciters of fables, admittedly, were not averse to letting their imagination wander into the domain of hadith.⁶

Due to the above-mentioned and other reasons besides, a critical examination of hadith was necessary. As a result of the efforts made by Muslim scholars in this regard, a new branch was created in the science of hadith; it came to be called “dirayat al-hadith”.⁷

The Nihayat al-dirayah defines dirayat al-hadith in these words: “It is a science which investigates the isnad, contents, subject and the mode of transmission of ahadith, so that acceptable traditions can be separated from unacceptable ones.”