Methods of Strengthening Da'if Hadith: A Comparative Analysis of the Epistemologies of the Muhaddithin and the Fuqaha

Abstract

The strengthening of da'if hadith (taqwiyat al-hadith al-da'if) is a methodological issue in hadith studies and usul al-fiqh concerning the determination of a report's authenticity and its probative force in the construction of Islamic law. The issue is significant because the muhaddithin and the fuqaha approach the basis, mechanisms, and limits of strengthening da'if hadith differently. This study aims to analyse the methods of strengthening da'if hadith from the perspectives of hadith science and usul al-fiqh, and to explain the epistemological differences between the muhaddithin and the fuqaha in determining the criteria, limits, and probative force of da'if hadith. This is a qualitative study based on library research, employing descriptive-analytical and comparative methods. The primary sources comprise the thought of Muhammad ibn 'Umar ibn Salim Bazmul and Qasim ibn 'Umar Haj Muhammad. The secondary sources include articles on isnad and matn criticism, the use of unreliable hadith in the Sunni tradition, the strengthening of hadith through correspondence of meaning with the Qur'an, and the application of da'if hadith in the construction of Islamic law. The findings show that the methods of strengthening da'if hadith include mutaba'at, shawahid, talaqqi al-'ulama bi al-qabul, statements of the Companions, correspondence with the Qur'an, consensus (ijma'), principles of the Shari'a, analogy (qiyas), and testing against scientific and historical reality. Each method, however, has a distinct epistemological function and limits. The fundamental difference between the muhaddithin and the fuqaha in strengthening hadith lies in the orientation of their testing: the muhaddithin emphasise the validity of a hadith's attribution to the Prophet (sihhat al-nisbah), whereas the fuqaha focus more on the validity of its substance and the report's position in legal argumentation (sihhat al-ma'na).