◉ Definition of ʿIlm al-Rijāl (Science of Narrators)
ʿIlm al-Rijāl is the discipline dedicated to examining the background, lineage, integrity, knowledge, piety, and reliability of Hadith narrators. It plays a fundamental role in authenticating narrations, as it enables the scholars of Hadith to assess the credibility of narrators and the strength or weakness of the Hadith they transmitted.
◉ Origins of ʿIlm al-Rijāl
✦ Era of the Companions (Ṣaḥābah)
All the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) were considered upright and trustworthy; hence, their narrations did not require scrutiny. As stated:
“لأن الصحابۃ عدول ونقلھم صحیح فلاوجہ للخلاف”
"Because the Companions are upright, and their transmission is authentic, there is no room for dispute."
(Mirqāt: 5/17)
✦ Era of the Tābiʿīn
In the early era, the senior Tābiʿīn were accepted due to their knowledge and piety. However, with the emergence of sectarian divisions and innovations, the need to critically evaluate narrators became evident.
Imām Ibn Sīrīn (110 AH) said:
"When tribulations appeared, scholars decided that the names of narrators should be identified so that the people of Sunnah and the people of innovation could be distinguished."
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Bāb Ḥaddathanā Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ: 1/34)
◉ Emergence of Sectarian Fitnah in Kūfah and Baṣrah
Kūfah and the Fitnah of Shiʿism
Kūfah, being the scholarly hub of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (رضي الله عنه) and ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه), witnessed the rise of sectarianism (Shīʿism) after political disputes. False statements were attributed to ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه), leading to fabrication and division within the Ummah.
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) said:
"Many things have become popular about ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) that he never said."
(Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-ʿIlal, Bāb Dhikr al-ʿIlal: 12/482)
Baṣrah and the Denial of Qadar
In Baṣrah, Maʿbad al-Juhnī discussed controversial issues concerning Divine Decree (Qadar). ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) instructed people to avoid such individuals and stated:
“Allah will not accept deeds from those who do not believe in Qadar.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Bāb Bayān al-Īmān wa al-Islām wa al-Iḥsān, Ḥadīth No: 9)
◉ Development of ʿIlm al-Rijāl
✿ Early Scholars
During the era of the Tābiʿīn and Tabiʿ al-Tābiʿīn, scholars began scrutinizing narrators:
✔ Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (110 AH) criticized Maʿbad al-Juhnī.
✔ Saʿīd ibn Jubayr (95 AH) commented on Ṭalq ibn Ḥabīb.
✔ Prominent hadith experts like Shuʿbah ibn al-Ḥajjāj, Sufyān al-Thawrī, Mālik ibn Anas, al-Awzāʿī, and ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak identified weak narrators.
✿ Important Books on ʿIlm al-Rijāl
✔ Kitāb al-ʿIlal – by ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī (234 AH)
✔ Tārīkh al-Kabīr – by Imām al-Bukhārī (256 AH)
✔ Kitāb al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl – by Ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Rāzī (327 AH)
◉ Early Compilers in ʿIlm al-Rijāl
In the initial stages, hadith scholars compiled biographical information about the Companions and Tābiʿīn, assessing their memory, piety, and reliability.
Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī noted:
“In the generation of the Tābiʿīn, no narrator was found guilty of deliberate fabrication. Errors and weak memory were present, but intentional lying emerged in later times.”
◉ Major Contributors to ʿIlm al-Rijāl
✔ ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī (Kitāb al-ʿIlal)
✔ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (Kitāb al-ʿIlal wa Maʿrifah al-Rijāl)
✔ Imām al-Bukhārī (Tārīkh al-Kabīr)
✔ Imām al-Nasāʾī (al-Ḍuʿafāʾ wa al-Matrūkīn)
◉ Prominent Works in the Evolution of ʿIlm al-Rijāl
Early Works
✔ al-Kamāl fī Asmāʾ al-Rijāl – by ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Maqdisī
Widely regarded as the first comprehensive compilation.
Later Works
✔ Tahdhīb al-Kamāl – by Jamāl al-Dīn al-Mizzī
A detailed twelve-volume biographical encyclopedia and a central source in ʿIlm al-Rijāl.
✔ Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb – by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
An abridged and refined version of al-Mizzī’s work, with clarifying notes.
Other Notable Texts
✔ Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl – by al-Dhahabī
✔ Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ – by al-Dhahabī
✔ Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb – by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
◉ Relationship Between ʿIlm al-Ḥadīth and ʿIlm al-Rijāl
Understanding Hadith requires knowledge of both the text (matn) and the chain of transmission (sanad).
Imām ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī said:
“Pondering over the meanings of Hadith is half of knowledge, and the knowledge of narrators is the other half.”
(Muqaddimah Khulāṣah Tahdhīb al-Kamāl: 1/165)
◉ Conclusion
ʿIlm al-Rijāl is a pivotal discipline within Islamic sciences, serving as the backbone of Hadith authentication. Through it, the authenticity of Hadith chains and texts is preserved, ensuring the protection and purity of Islam across generations.
