Development of Early Sunnite ḥadīth Criticism

ḥadīth are the documents recording the words and actions of the Prophet Muḥammad. Originally an enormous and amorphous corpus, Muslim scholars of the third/ninth century separated the ḥadīth they regarded as true from those they held to be forgeries, producing collection of ḥadīth which still command the respect of Muslims today.Ibn Abī ḥātim al-Rāzī (240/854-327/938) was one of the most prominent exponents and practitioners of ḥadīth criticism. He left a copious written legacy, including his famous Taqdima, a biographical dictionary of the early ḥadīth critics.The Taqdima reveals Ibn Abī ḥātims's vision of the critic and gives insight into the mechanism of ḥadīth criticism. It also provides a platform for the examination of the basic intellectual orientation of the ḥadīth critics and their conflicts with their opponents.

'…well written and valuable book…' Journal of Oriental & African Studies, 2003. '...this work is a valuable contribution to our understanding of early Ḥadῑth criticism. It should prove an important tool for any student of Islam who is well-acquainted with biographical sources and who understands the importance of Ḥadῑth authentication.' Ashraf Makadam, The Muslim World Book Reviews, 2003.

Eerik Dickinson, Ph.D. (1992) in Arabic, Yale University, has taught at Yale and Hunter College in New York City. He is interested in the nexus of ḥadīth and biography. He has finished a translation of Ibn al-Salāḥ's Muqaddima.