Analysis of the authority of a single news item in the beliefs and excommunication of its deniers from the point of view of Imams and Shafi'is

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Graduate of PhD in Shafi'i Jurisprudence, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor at the University of Tehran, Iran, “Corresponding Author

3 Assistant Professor of Jurisprudence and Islamic Law, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The validity of individual hadith reports within religious beliefs, as well as the attitudes towards those who reject these reports, represents a significant debate in religious epistemology among the jurists of the Imamiyya (Shiite) and Shafiʿiyya (Sunni) schools. This article provides a comprehensive examination of the perspectives held by scholars from both sects, employing a comparative and analytical methodology. Scholars from the Shafiʿi school advocate for the legitimacy of individual hadith reports, substantiating their position with textual evidence, including references from the Quran (notably Surah An-Naba' and Surah At-Tawbah), hadiths that are contextualized, and the principle of consensus (ijmaʿ). Conversely, Imamiyya scholars predominantly depend on non-textual forms of evidence, particularly the practices of the rational community (ʿuqala). Both sects acknowledge the validity of individual hadith reports concerning non-doctrinal issues. While early Imamiyya scholars rejected the validity of such reports in doctrinal contexts, later scholars accept them only when they are accompanied by contextual indicators. Similarly, Shafiʿi scholars regard individual reports that are supported by contextual evidence or recognized by the community as valid for doctrinal purposes, although such instances are infrequent among Shafiʿis. Given the varied methodologies for deriving knowledge from individual reports and the inferential nature of the knowledge obtained, neither sect has deemed it necessary to excommunicate those who dispute such reports. The parallels in the perspectives of these two sects underscore the existence of scholarly and theoretical commonalities, emphasizing the importance of fostering convergence and reconciliation between them.

Keywords

References

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11- Pajooheshname Hadith Tatbighee
Volume 11, Issue 20 - Serial Number 20
September 2024
Pages 291-318

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  • Receive Date: 05 March 2023
  • Revise Date: 27 May 2023
  • Accept Date: 22 September 2023

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