Prophetic Hadiths (Traditions) Considered Defected by Ibn Kathir under the Chapter of the Prophet's Migration in his Work Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya and his Methodology in Addressing them

Authors

Ghassan Hermas, Al-Quds Open University - PalestineFollow

DOI

https://doi.org/10.35192/jjoas-h.v26i1.8

Abstract

Occasions have become numerous in the Islamic world to the extent that some consider them to be festivals. One such occasion is the Prophet’s Migration, for which many Hadiths (Traditions) have been narrated. Many orators and preachers have taken it upon themselves to mention these narrations, aiming to determine whether they are authentic or fabricated. However, some well-versed scholars dedicated themselves to clarifying the status of these narrations and evaluating their authenticity. One of these scholars was Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, who examined them closely in his famous work Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya (The Beginning and the End), highlighting which narrations were sound and which were doubtful. I have chosen to explore this topic by presenting Ibn Kathir’s comments on the narrations that he regarded as defective and comparing his evaluations with those of other scholars. The first section discusses Ibn Kathir’s biography, his works, and his method in mentioning narrations. The second section examines closely the narrations evaluated by Ibn Kathir under the chapter of the Prophet’s Migration. The analysis revealed that when mentioning weak narrations, he (Ibn Kathir) committed to indicating the level of their weakness. He explicitly stated that he does not establish anything on his own but relies on the authenticity or good integrity of the chain of narration (isnad). The study concluded with some key findings.

Recommended Citation

Hermas, Ghassan (2021) "Prophetic Hadiths (Traditions) Considered Defected by Ibn Kathir under the Chapter of the Prophet's Migration in his Work Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya and his Methodology in Addressing them," Jordan Journal of Applied Science-Humanities Series: Vol. 26: Iss. 1, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35192/jjoas-h.v26i1.8
Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/jjoas-h/vol26/iss1/8