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Hadith: Difference between revisions
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==Compilation in writing== | ==Compilation in writing== | ||
Though the authenticity of ''any'' of the Hadith has come under increasing scrutiny in modern times (in light of scholarship on the reliability of oral traditions, virtually unending political conflicts after Muhammad's death, and, | Though the authenticity of ''any'' of the Hadith has come under increasing scrutiny in modern times (in light of scholarship on the reliability of oral traditions, virtually unending political conflicts after Muhammad's death, frequent internal contradiction, and, often, clear cases of fabrication), the early scholars of Islam responsible for the transcription of the hadith did themselves employ a seemingly sophisticated method of verification that relied on the plausibility of: the "chains" of transmission (or ''asaneed;'' sing. ''isnad'') allegedly connecting the hadith back to the prophet, the reliability of the narrators' morals and memory, and, indeed, the ''matn'', or text, of the hadith itself (that is, the plausibility of the prophet actually having said/done what the report attests to). | ||
Despite this apparent rigor, the hadith would ultimately be compiled along sectarian, political, and polemical lines, generally with narrations supporting the compiling group's point of view (matn-based analysis playing no small part in this outcome). Today, [[Sunnis]] and [[Shi'ites]] have separate collections of hadiths. That the meaning of "hadith" extended to include the sayings and doings of Muhammad's companions, many of whom would be deeply embroiled in the political turmoil that would follow Muhammad's death (prominently, [[Ali]] and [[Aisha]]), only facilitated the splitting of the tradition. | Despite this apparent rigor, the hadith would ultimately be compiled along sectarian, political, and polemical lines, generally with narrations supporting the compiling group's point of view (matn-based analysis playing no small part in this outcome). Today, [[Sunnis]] and [[Shi'ites]] have separate collections of hadiths. That the meaning of "hadith" extended to include the sayings and doings of Muhammad's companions, many of whom would be deeply embroiled in the political turmoil that would follow Muhammad's death (prominently, [[Ali]] and [[Aisha]]), only facilitated the splitting of the tradition. | ||