A Research Analysis of Imam al-Bukhari’s Term: "Munkar al-Hadith" in Al-Tarikh al-Kabir

التاریخ الکبیر میں امام بخاریؒ کی اصطلاح :" منكر الحدیث" کا تحقیقی جائزہ

Abstract

The Holy Qur’an is a divine book that serves as a source of guidance for all of humanity. Its practical interpretation is found in the blessed sayings (Ahadith) of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The preservation of these Ahadith was taken up by Allah Himself, who, in every era, appointed exceptional individuals who played a pivotal role in safeguarding them. On the other hand, the enemies of Islam have always tried to attribute falsehoods to the Prophet ﷺ in an attempt to weaken the very foundations of Islam. However, these chosen servants of Allah established such a strong and meticulous scholarly system that distinguishing truth from falsehood became possible. To serve this purpose, the science of Asma' al-Rijal (biographical evaluation of narrators) was developed. This discipline investigates the reliability, truthfulness, and weaknesses of the narrators of Hadith. In this field, scholars of Hadith engage in Jarh wa Ta’dil—the critique and validation of narrators—and present various scholarly opinions to determine the credibility or weakness of a narrator. Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) is considered one of the foremost experts in this science. His book Al-Tarikh al-Kabir has been a valuable reference for scholars of every era. In this work, Imam Bukhari uses several terminologies while commenting on narrators, one of the significant ones being "Munkar al-Hadith". This research paper explores the meaning and implication of this term according to Imam Bukhari: what kind of criticism he intends by using it, and how other scholars of Jarh wa Ta’dil have used and understood this term. These questions form the central discussion of this study.