Abu Bakr al-Kalabadhi's methodology of dealing with mushkil al-hadith in Bahr al-Fawa'id

Abstract

This dissertation studies the method of Abu Bakr al-Kalabadhi in dealing with mushkil al-hadith (problematic hadiths) through his work Bahr al-Fawa'id. This study was organised around five main questions that follow the structure of the chapters: the intellectual authority of al-Kalabadhi, the principles of the ishari style in hadith commentary, his treatment of hadiths with linguistic problems, his approach to hadiths with theological tensions, and the overall interpretive framework that was derived from his practice. This research uses a qualitative library-based method with close reading of the hadith texts and al-Kalabadhi’s commentary. From Bahr al-Fawa'id, 30 hadiths were selected as a focused corpus. These hadiths were divided into two categories: narrations that contain linguistic and semantic difficulties, and narrations that appear to conflict with theological principles or rational understanding. Each hadith is treated as a case study to examine how al-Kalabadhi identified the problem and how he resolved it. The findings show that al-Kalabadhi did not treat mushkil as a reason to reject a report, but as a challenge of interpretation. He began with the apparent (zahir) meaning of the text, clarified its language and context, and then, when necessary, added a controlled ishari explanation that gives ethical and spiritual depth without denying the original wording. In narrations related to divine attributes and unseen realities, he preserved the authority of transmission while avoiding anthropomorphic understanding by redirecting the meaning toward relational and theological significance. This dissertation argues that al-Kalabadhi’s method represents a balanced model in which language, theology, and spiritual guidance work together to resolve problematic hadiths. It also proposes a clear framework to distinguish disciplined ishari interpretation from subjective mystical readings, showing how such an approach can contribute to the study of mushkil al-hadith.