Back to search

Is there a contemporary book on Al-Jarh wa Al-Ta'deel?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Contemporaries cannot author books on al-Jarh wa al-Ta’deel (discrediting and accrediting narrators) in the style of earlier scholars' works, such as Al-Tareekh Al-Kabeer (The Grand History) and Al-Dhu'afaa' (The Weak Narrators) by Imam Al-Bukhari. This is because this science can only be undertaken by preeminent scholars who lived during the era of narration and isnad (chains of transmission) and who were intimately familiar with narrators and their narrations. What contemporaries can do, however, is compile research on specific issues within the science of al-Jarh wa al-Ta’deel, explain its terminology, gather information related to a particular narrator, or elucidate the methodology of a specific Imam in this science. There are many scholarly works and dissertations available on these topics. As for books that deal with discrediting those attributed to knowledge, they are also numerous. It is important to note that some of these works may use al-Jarh wa al-Ta’deel as a pretext for invalid attacks on preachers and scholars.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy