A STUDY ON THE USAGE FORMS AND COURSE OF MEANING OF SAHIB SUNNA AS A PRAISING (TA'DIL) TERM


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ENGİN S.

ILAHIYAT STUDIES-A JOURNAL ON ISLAMIC AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES, cilt.6, sa.1, ss.47-74, 2015 (ESCI) identifier identifier

Özet

Sahib sunna is one of the most common terms in al-jarh wa-l-ta'dil literature. This concept signifies a reason for preference in the determination of narrators from whom a hadith will be transmitted in written form or through narration. Therefore, this article concentrates on the different usages of sahib sunna over the course of time, the meanings ascribed to it, the influence of historical circumstances on its meaning, and the value of being described as sahib sunna within al-jarh wa-l-ta'dil studies. Sahib sunna is apparent in hadith sources as a term of accreditation (ta'dil) since earlier periods; in riwaya terminology, however, it is used in tabaqat-tarajim works as a term that expresses the competence of a narrator in terms of delivering the narrative, particularly since the 3rd century AH. It is possible to assert that sahib sunna has an extensive structure of meaning depending on the author, the period or the kind of work, and this openness in meaning primarily originates from semantic diversity regarding the use of the concept of "Sunna" in different sciences such as hadith, usul al-fiqh, and kalam.