The Addition of a Trustworthy Narrator Between Acceptance and Rejection

(Abu Dawood has an example)

Abstract

The issue of the addition made by a trustworthy narrator (ziyādat al-thiqah) is one that has been the subject of considerable disagreement among hadith scholars, similar to the disagreements found in other areas of hadith terminology. The specific type of addition under discussion here refers to the case where a group of reliable narrators transmit a hadith with the same chain of narration and text, but one of them includes an additional element that the others do not mention.

I began writing these pages to discuss the topic of ziyādat al-thiqah, highlighting its significance, causes, and objectives. I also reviewed previous studies on the subject and outlined the structure of the study, which consists of an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion, and scholarly indices. My aim is to contribute this work to students of hadith sciences.

Chapter One is devoted to clarifying the concept of ziyādat al-thiqah, its identifying features, its legal status, and its various types. This chapter includes the following sections: Section One: Definition of ziyādat al-thiqah. Section Two: Indicators of ziyādat al-thiqah. Section Three: The ruling on accepting ziyādat al-thiqah. Section Four: Types of ziyādat al-thiqah.

Chapter Two addresses the methodology of Imām Abū Dāwūd in accepting additions made by trustworthy narrators, with illustrative examples of both acceptance and rejection. This chapter includes two sections:

Section One: Abū Dāwūd’s methodology in dealing with such additions

Section Two: Examples of accepted or rejected additions in the works of Abū Dāwūd, may Allah have mercy on him

The study concludes with a summary of the key findings and a list of recommendations.