al-Baqillani's theory of Khabar and its impact on hadith scholarship

Abstract

Khabar is an epistemological concept discussed in various Islamic disciplines, including u??l al-d?n, u??l al-fiqh, and u??l al-?ad?th. The 4th century AH/10th century CE witnessed dynamic intellectual endeavours by Muslim scholars, and significant contributions were made in these then-developing symbiotic sciences. This century produced one of the earliest luminaries to have discussed the sciences of u??l al-d?n and u??l al-fiqh at great length and with a high degree of sophistication, namely al-Q??? Ab? Bakr Mu?ammad b. al-?ayyib al-B?qill?n? (403/1013). Regrettably, many of his works are lost to history, and it appears that most of his published works to date remain incomplete. Although he wrote at least several works on u??l al-fiqh, none have survived except for portions of al-Taqr?b wa al-Irsh?d, and none of the published portions includes the main chapter on sunnah and discussions on khabar. However, statements related to khabar are found elsewhere in the book and fragmented in his other surviving works. In addition to that, sixteen narrations from al-B?qill?n? are found in al-Kif?yah f? Ma?rifat U??l ?Ilm al-Riw?yah, a manual on u??l al-?ad?th composed by al-??fi? Ab? Bakr A?mad b. ?Al?, also known as al-Kha??b al-Baghd?d? (463/1071), and all of these narrations, which are taken directly from al-B?qill?n?�s student, are on the subject of khabar. Nevertheless, there remains a lack of comprehensive investigation into al-B?qill?n?�s theory of khabar. This present study proposes that this theory can be formulated and has a significant impact on ?ad?th scholarship, primarily through the channel of al-Kha??b al-Baghd?d?. This research employs the library research method and textual analysis by consulting relevant primary sources, mainly al-Kha??b�s al-Kif?yah and the published works of al-B?qill?n?. This study concludes that al-Kha??b was the first to incorporate al-B?qill?n?�s articulation of khabar in a ?ad?th manual and that al-B?qill?n?�s theory of khabar, which is constructed by analysing his statements concerning reports and reporters, served as the foundation of al-Kha??b�s conception of ?ad?th and impacted subsequent ?ad?th scholarship. Consequently, this study will enhance the understanding of the epistemic status of ?ad?th and contribute to the ongoing discussion on the confluence between u??l al-d?n, u??l al-fiqh and u??l al-?ad?th.