The methodology of hadith criticism in Nasiruddin Alalbani's work Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Daifa Wa'l-Mawdua

This thesis examines the hadith criticism methodology adopted in Silsilat al-Ahadith ad-Da'ifah wal-Mawdu'ah wa Atharuha as-Sayyi' fil-Ummah, a work written by Muhammad Nasiruddin al Albani (d. 1420/1999). This work is regarded as one of the most significant scholarly contributions in the modern era aimed at purifying the hadith corpus from weak and fabricated narrations. The thesis identifies the scholarly foundations on which al Albani based his classification of hadiths as weak or fabricated. It analyzes his use of isnad (chain of transmission) and matn (text) criticism, his evaluation of narrators, and the internal and external indicators he relied upon when preferring one narration over another. The central research question posed is: To what extent did al Albani adhere to the hadith criticism principles of the early scholars (muhaddithun al mutaqaddimin)? And how does his methodology differ from that of other contemporary hadith scholars? The study employs descriptive, comparative, and analytical methods. It focuses on hadiths numbered 1 to 3300 in the series, which were personally reviewed by al Albani. In addition, classical hadith sources, works on ilal (hidden defects), biographical dictionaries of narrators (rijal works), and modern academic studies on al Albani's methodology have been examined. The thesis is structured into four main chapters: The first chapter serves as an introduction and includes the subject, objectives, significance, methodology, limitations of the study, as well as the relevant literature. The second chapter examines the life of the hadith scholar Muḥammad Nāṣiruddīn al-Albānī (d. 1420/1999), his scholarly personality, and the historical and intellectual context of his era. It also evaluates his teachers, scholarly journey, and methodological formation. The third chapter investigates the place of Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ḍaʿīfa wa'l-Mawḍūʿa in the science of hadith, presenting in detail the development of authorship in this field, the methodological features of the work, its sources, and its scholarly contributions. The fourth chapter analyzes al-Albānī's approach to hadith criticism and classification through applied examples, and further discusses the critiques directed at him in light of hadith methodology and the principles of evaluation employed by earlier hadith scholars. The study concludes that al Albani generally followed the methodology of the early hadith scholars, demonstrated a broad perspective by considering multiple indicators (qarain), and exercised independent judgment in issuing rulings. However, it also identifies certain inconsistencies in his application of criticism principles. The research highlights al Albani's efforts to restore the credibility of the Ahl al Hadith tradition and his methodological critiques of narrations. Based on these findings, the study recommends further academic research on al Albani's criticism project, a deeper examination of its controversial aspects, and a systematic documentation of his methodology within the framework of hadith sciences.