The Theory of Sensation and Intuition and its Role in Evaluating Narrators among Contemporary Imami Scholars (A Critical Study)

Abstract

The science of hadith transmitters (rijal) is a fundamental discipline whose focus revolves around the Prophetic traditions (hadith), as it investigates the circumstances of the narrators who transmitted them. The paramount importance of this science is undeniable, to the point that some scholars consider ijtihad (independent reasoning) in jurisprudence (fiqh) to be inseparable from the science of hadith transmitters.

Scholars of the Imamiyyah school of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) have been deeply interested in this science since its early days. The credit for establishing this science goes to the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), who laid down its foundations when he categorized the narrators. Since then, the works of this school on hadith transmitters have proliferated, sometimes focusing on the biographies of narrators and other times on their evaluation. Although these works were simple in their beginnings, the factors of time and place were sufficient to develop the principles, compilations, and outputs of this science. This development played a significant role in the emergence of diverse methodologies for writing and classification, varying according to scholarly needs, including biographies, criticism and authentication of narrators, and listing their works according to the cataloging method.