ABSTRACT
Prophetic tradition (ḥadīth) impinges on Qur’anic exegesis and the two have become inseparable entities in Islamic studies. In fact, the study of Qur’anic exegesis cannot be undertaken without reference to ḥadīth. Through the study of schools of exegesis one can feel how ḥadīth plays a more central role in the school of traditional exegesis (al-tafsīr bil-ma’thūr) than in any other school. However, in any school of Qur’anic exegesis, ḥadīth has been taken as a demisting exegetical tool in the elucidation of a given Qur’anic passage. Yet the authenticity of ḥadīth has been shrouded with scepticism due to the widespread proliferation of fabricated ḥadīths. As a result, it has become difficult to ascertain the correct signification of some Qur’anic materials whose linguistic or non-linguistic account is hinged upon ḥadīth literature. The present chapter investigates the interrelation between ḥadīth and exegesis, how ḥadīth literature has been documented, the major factors behind the forgery of ḥadīth, the textual corruption of some ḥadīths, concerns over the accuracy of both the matn (text, content) and isnād (chain of authorities) of ḥadīth, the efforts by traditionists (al-muḥaddithūn) to sift through the spurious ḥadīths and how they acted as both validators of sound ḥadīths and at times as exegetes themselves. As a prophetic tradition depends on a chain of authorities, major defects may be attributed to the chain of authorities in which case the ḥadīth authenticity may be dented. The present account will also highlight the classification of ḥadīth and its main genres.
