Criticism in Hadith Explanation, Specifically Ibn Hajar's Criticism On Mughaltay

Abstract

The science of Hadith commentary contributes to the formation of knowledge by analyzing and interpreting the chains of transmission and the text of reports; this scholarly process ensures the creation of complete commentary texts through methods of verification, critique, and completion. Within this process, scholars’ critical approaches to previous works have contributed to the text, facilitating the development and progress of the field. The presence of criticism in a field is evidence that it is a current and valid branch of knowledge. One of the authors who quotes from previous commentators in his work and directs some criticisms at the views of the scholars he references is Ibn Hajar. In this study, the quotations made by Ibn Hajar in his commentary Fath al-bari from Mughaltay ibn Qalij, who is among the Hanafi Hadith commentators of the Mamluk period, are analyzed in terms of quality and quantity. These analyses have shown that his critical identity is more prominent in the quotations he makes from Mughaltay.  Ibn Hajar’s criticisms have been evaluated through primary source checks and comparative readings, and they have been categorized into three groups: criticisms with a high degree of validity, those that are debatable, and those that cannot be evaluated. Through these, the subject of critique in Hadith commentary has been attempted to be demonstrated using the examples of Ibn Hajar and Mughaltay.