Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
DINBILIMLERI AKADEMIK ARASTIRMA DERGISI-JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN RELIGIOUS SCIENCES, sa.1, ss.399-432, 2023 (ESCI)
Ramhurmuzi is accepted as the first hadith scholar who wrote an independent hadith method in the period of muteqaddimun (early period of hadith literature). Despite this, there is not much information about him in the hadith method, history and tabaqat works of muteqaddimun. According to Dhahabi, only Abu al-Qasim Ibn Manda (d. 470) mentioned in his work al-Vafiyyat that he lived in Ramhurmuz until around 360 Hijri. Hakim al-Nisaburi, who is accepted as one of the first hadith method authors, never mentions Ramhurmuzi in his work called Ma'rifat ulum al-hadith and does not convey any narration from him. Interestingly, Hatib al-Bagdadi, benefiting from Ramhurmuzi in almost all of his works, does not include his biography in his book Tarihu Bagdad. Therefore, it does not seem possible to say that Ramhurmuzi come into prominence as a hadith method scholar in the early period of history of hadith. Despite this information, his works named al-Muhaddith al-fasil and Amthal al-hadith indicate his experience in the science of hadith. Recognition of Ramhurmuzi was made possible by the fame of his work al-Muhaddith al-fasil. Ramhurmuzi, who was not well known as a hadith authority in the period of muteqaddimun and his work began to gain fame with the activities of Abu Tahir al-Silefi in Egypt. al-Muhaddith al-fasil, was shown by al-Alai as the first work written in the field of hadith methodology firstly. Beginning from the 7th century AH, the importance of al-Muhaddith al-fasil in the field of hadith methodology began to be understood and thus it was effective in bringing Ramhurmuzi come into prominence as a hadith method scholar. al-Muhaddith al-fasil, as it is understood from its name and content, is a work that aims to encourage people contented with only hadith and fiqh to benefit from each other. In the 4th century AH, when the method struggles of Ahl al-hadith and Ahl al-ra'y groups increased and the method of kalam began to be adopted in Ahl al-hadith, Ramhurmuzi thought to reconcile these segments with the middle-way discourse. But he thought that this middle way is represented by the members of Ahl al-hadith, who support the consideration and inference. As a matter of fact, al-Muhaddith al-fasil does not show the members of Ahl al-ra'y as an example from this aspect. In al-Muhaddith al-fasil, Ramhurmuzi generally addressed and criticized Hanbali hadith supporters and Ahl al-ra'y Hanafi jurists. In al-Muhaddith al-fasil, Ramhurmuzi adopted the method of Ahl al-Hadith and highlighted the opinions which established by Shafi'i about hadith methodology. He did not give place to any element of the khabar theory systematized by the Ahl al-ra'y in his book. In this context, he did not only handle with the classification of narrations as mutawatir-ahad in terms of information value, but also textual criticism and methodology of exposing (`ard). His grasp approach in al-Muhaddith al-fasil, consists mostly of detailed technical information about the science of isnad and rijal developed by the Ahl al-hadith. Ramhurmuzi associates the concept of grasp with fiqh al-hadith, which aims to examine the meanings in hadiths, and hadith sciences, which aim to determine the correctness of hadiths with the criticism of isnad and rijal. In addition, he does not show any members of the Ahl al-ra'y or Hanafi jurist as an example in his book as someone who has realized the reconciliation of grasp and narration. For this reason, we can say that he basically advocated Shafi'i's medial approach, which represents the ideal formulation of hadith and fiqh and has been developing since the middle of the fourth century. In al-Muhaddith al-fasil, Ramhurmuzi, gives place to subjects, such as "the importance of sunnah and hadiths", "the virtue and superiority of Ahl al-hadith", "ethics and conditions of narration", "the virtue of reconciliation of grasp and narration", the information about names and monikers (asma' and kuna) of rijal", "maqbul and merdud narrators", "acceptance or unacceptance of the narration", "the methods of tahammul and riwayah", tasheef-tahreef, adab al-imla' wa'l-istimla", "jarh-tadil" and "the manner of hadith writing", and some hadith issues such as, "narrations of ali-nazil", "writing of hadiths", "literal and contextual narration", "vilification of narrating many hadiths without dealing with fiqh". Ramhurmuzi did not see the hadith method as a "theoretical science of terms", as it was perceived in the period of the mutaahhirun (late period of hadith literature). As a matter of fact, in al-Muhaddith al-fasil, he does not deal with "the definition of hadith terms" or "the types of hadith in terms of ittisal and discontinuity (inqita`), sihhat and da`f of hadith", or in terms of their source, although he touches on the basic hadith method issues.