Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
CUMHURIYET ILAHIYAT DERGISI-CUMHURIYET THEOLOGY JOURNAL, cilt.25, sa.3, ss.1231-1252, 2021 (ESCI, Scopus, TRDizin)
It is well-known that Ibn al-Salah al-Shahrazuri (d. 643/1245) has an important place in the field of hadith methodology. In this context, it is possible to see Ibn-al Salah's influence in a large proportion of the hadith terminology. The fact that the term hasan was not substantially included in the hadith method studies before Ibn-al Salah and that this concept became widely known in the field after him led to study the contributions of al Salah on the subject of hasan hadith and in this regard, his effect on the term hasan. As result it was found that authorities such as Shafi'i (d. 204/820), 'Ali b. al-Madini (d. 234/848-49), Ahmad b. Hanbal (d. 241/855) used the concept of hasan in various meanings before al-Tirmidhi (d. 279/892) who, according to general acceptance, made the term hasan famous for its terminological use. However, it is possible to say that 'Ali b. al-Madini was the first to use the terminological meaning of the concept hasan. Actually, the fact that Shafii' used the term hasan isnad for an authentic hadith that al-Bukhari (d. 256/870) and Muslim b. Hajjaj (d. 261/875) would later unanimously narrate, and Ahmad b. Hanbal used hasan as gharib, is evidence for the unsystematic use of the term in the early periods. Even though, thanks to al-Tirmidhi, an important place was opened for the concept in riwaya literature, there was no serious mention of the term in later hadith methodology. Therefore, it has been seen that hadith scholars considered the term hasan within the scope of sahih or da'if hadith, since they accepted the term as an intermediate concept, and for this reason they did not include the term hasan among the subjects of hadith methodology until Ibn al-Salah. An examination of the argument, that one can act upon a da'if hadith, would show that hasan hadith might have been interpreted within the scope of da'if hadith. On the other hand, the fact that some scholars such as Mughultay b. Qilij (d. 762/1361) state that a hadith would be called sahib if it is maqbal with any presumption, and that there is no point in calling such a hadith hasan shows that the hasan hadith is considered within the scope of sahib hadith. The fact that hadith methodology scholars did not mention hasan hadith before Ibn al-Salah stems from the ambiguity of the subject. Contrary to his predecessors, Ibn al-Salah tried to save the term hasan from its ambiguity by combining the different specifications put forward by al-Tirmidhi, al-Khattabi (d. 388/998), and Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597/1201). The specifications and interpretations of the term presented by Ibn al-Salah via his meticulous efforts, have also been adopted by his successors. The term hasan hadith has gained an important place in the literature of hadith methodology thanks to the views and definitions built on the descriptions and interpretations of Ibn al-Salah. In this context, while there are those who agree with Ibn al-Salah's descriptions and evaluations of the term, there are also those who criticize his remarks on the subject. However, it has been seen that those who criticize Ibn al-Salah, along with those who follow him, criticized him by following the path drawn by Ibn al-Salah. Based on this and similar situations, it was concluded that not only the descriptions and comments that Ibn al-Salah made, but also his style and methods of handling the subject gave direction to the studies on hadith methodology. In addition, it has been observed that the most compact description of the term hasan is put forward by Ibn Hajar and today's studies are predicated on his description. Within this framework, after emphasizing that there are four degrees of maqbul hadiths, Ibn Hajar defined the two fields, which were covered by two different descriptions of Ibn al-Salah, as hasan li-zatih and lighairih by Ibn al-Hajar. (d. 852/1449) By doing so Ibn al-Hajar gave the final shape to the hasan hadith terms. He also captured the fundamental point where hasan hadith differs from the sahib hadith because the basic point in question, which was not directly stated before, is a slight flaw in the narrator's grip. At the end of the study, it was concluded that -as al-Dhahabi (d. 748/1348) also stated- it does not seem possible to determine a comprehensive rule that gathers hasan hadiths under a single description. Considering the historical context of the term hasan, it has been observed that the most effective description of the hasan hadith are the terms hasan li-zatih and hasan lighairih, which were put forward by Ibn Hajar by transforming the dual division mentioned by Ibn al-Salah into a more understandable form.