al-Sunan al-Kabîr of al-Bayhaqî (d. 458/1066) in terms of Hadith

In the science of hadith, many scholars have written books to bring together the words, deeds and approvals of the Prophet. One of them is al-Sunan al-kabîr, which was classified by Bayhaqî in the fifth century of the hijra after the golden age of hadith works. The aim of our study is to determine the place and value of Bayhaqî's al-Sunan al-kabîr, which is one of the hadith sources in the Islamic literature, in the science of hadith. Depending on this purpose, it has been decided that the study will consist of four chapters with an introduction, based on the determinations made on al-Sunan al-kabîr: In the introduction, after dwelling on the subject, purpose, plan and sources of the research, Bayhaqî's life, works and scientific personality are discussed, and al-Medhal, which is the introduction of al-Sunan al-kabîr, is included. In the first chapter, al-Sunan al-kabîr's analysis was made in terms of classification method and narration technique. In the second part, the teachers from whom Bayhaqî transmitted hadiths in al-Sunan al-kabîr and the written sources he used were determined. In the third chapter, al-Sunan al-kabîr is analyzed in terms of isnâd (chain of transmitters) and matn criticism. In the fourth chapter, Bayhaqî's hadith commentary and interpretation in al-Sunan al-kabîr is dealt with. As a result of this study, it has been determined that al-Sunan al-kabîr is is a hadith book with a rich content. It is possible to benefit from different aspects such as hadith methodology, cerh-ta'dil, 'ilel and commentary, as well as making use of al-Sunan al-kabîr for the takhrîc (including a hadith in a book or finding it in basic sources) of the hadiths of the Prophet.It can also be benefited from in terms of fiqh, since al-Sunan al-kabîr contains hadiths related to the ahkâm and Bayhaqî deals with the conflicts between the Shafi'î and the Hanafi sect within the framework of hadiths in many parts of the work. In this respect, it can be said that al-Sunan al-kabîr is a transition period work between the golden ages of the basic hadith books and commentary works.