This article explores the significance of Abū Jaʻfar al-ʻUqaylī’s (d. 322/934) Kitāb alDu ʻafā on the weak transmitters of hadith. Its significance lies in its status as the marker of a new era in the historical development of the duafā literature for the following reasons. Firstly, with Kitāb al-Duʻafā, the number of narrators included in a duafā work increased considerably, compared to previous representatives of the literature. Secondly, the book criticizes narrators with explanatory remarks that consist of a few sentences rather than simply with specific terms of jarh and taʻdil, as well as with examples from narrators’ mistaken ahadith that led to their impugnment. Thirdly, unlike the early duafā authors, ʻUqaylī also frequently referred to former hadith critics’ opinions. Last but not least, Kitāb al-Duʻafā is distinguished with a prologue that establishes the legitimacy of hadith criticism and examines its history. The paper argues that although the same features are also found –often in a more sophisticated manner- in Ibn Hibban’s (d. 354/965) Kitāb al-Majrūhīn and Ibn ʻAdī’s (d. 365/976) al-Kāmil, ʻUqaylī’s Kitāb al-Duʻafā should be regarded as the precursor of a new phase in the duafā literature, due to its chronological precedence.
Öz: Bu makale, zayıf râvîleri incelemek üzere yazılmış duafâ eserlerinden Ebû Cafer el-Ukaylî’nin
(ö. 322/934) Kitâbü’d-Duafâ’sını incelemektedir. Adı geçen eser, şu dört özelliğiyle duafâ literatürünün
tarihsel gelişiminde yeni bir safhanın başlangıcına işaret etmektedir. Kitâbü’d-Duafâ ile
birlikte, bir duafâ eserinin ihtiva ettiği râvî sayısı, önceki örneklere nisbetle belirgin biçimde artmıştır.
İkinci olarak, râvîler cerh-tadil lafızları yerine birkaç cümleyi bulan gerekçeli izahlarla tenkit
edilirken, onların cerhine sebep olan hatalı rivayetlerinden örnekler sunulmuştur. Üçüncü
olarak Ukaylî, ilk duafâ müelliflerinin çoğunun aksine, kendisinden önceki münekkitlerin görüşlerine
sıkça atıf yapmıştır. Son olarak Kitâbü’d-Duafâ, hadis tenkidinin meşruiyetini temellendiren
ve tarihçesini ele alan bir mukaddime bölümüyle öne çıkmıştır. Bu özellikler İbn Hibban’ın (ö.
354/965) Kitâbü’l-Mecrûhîn’i ile İbn Adî’nin (ö. 365/976) el-Kâmil’inde de –bazen çok daha gelişmiş
şekilde- bulunsa da, Ukaylî’nin eseri bunlar arasında kronolojik olarak en erken tarihli çalışma
olması sebebiyle duafâ literatüründe yeni bir dönemin habercisi sayılmalıdır.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Ukaylî, duafâ, Kitâbü’d-Duafâ, hadis tenkidi, zayıf râvî.
The Beginning of a New Era in the Duafā Literature: ʻUqaylī’s (d. 322/934) Kitāb al-Duʻafā
Abstract: This article explores the significance of Abū Jaʻfar al-ʻUqaylī’s (d. 322/934) Kitāb al-
Duʻafā on the weak transmitters of hadith. Its significance lies in its status as the marker of a new
era in the historical development of the duafā literature for the following reasons. Firstly, with
Kitāb al-Duʻafā, the number of narrators included in a duafā work increased considerably, compared
to previous representatives of the literature. Secondly, the book criticizes narrators with
explanatory remarks that consist of a few sentences rather than simply with specific terms of jarh
and taʻdil, as well as with examples from narrators’ mistaken ahadith that led to their impugnment.
Thirdly, unlike the early duafā authors, ʻUqaylī also frequently referred to former hadith
critics’ opinions. Last but not least, Kitāb al-Duʻafā is distinguished with a prologue that establishes
the legitimacy of hadith criticism and examines its history. The paper argues that although
the same features are also found –often in a more sophisticated manner- in Ibn Hibban’s (d.
354/965) Kitāb al-Majrūhīn and Ibn ʻAdī’s (d. 365/976) al-Kāmil, ʻUqaylī’s Kitāb al-Duʻafā should
be regarded as the precursor of a new phase in the duafā literature, due to its chronological precedence.
Keywords: ʻUqaylī, duafā, Kitāb al-Duʻafā, weak transmitter, hadith criticism.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Journal Section | Research Article |
Authors | |
Publication Date | March 7, 2014 |
Published in Issue | Year 2013 Issue: 44 |
International Journal of Theological and Islamic Studies
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