The Principles and Methodological Criteria of Mursal, Mu‘allaq and Mu‘ḍal Ḥadīth According to Shaykh Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī

شیخ ناصر الدین البانی ﷫کے ہاں مرسل ،معلق اور معضل کے اصول و ضوابط

Abstract

In the preservation and critical understanding of the Prophetic Ḥadīth, the distinguished scholars of Ḥadīth engaged in extremely meticulous discussions regarding the continuity and discontinuity of chains of transmission. Based on the connection or disconnection within the chain (sanad), various categories of Ḥadīth were identified, among which mursal, mu‘allaq, and Mu‘ḍal narrations hold particular significance. Differences of opinion are found among the scholars of Ḥadīth regarding the acceptance or rejection of these types of reports. Shaykh Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī (may Allah have mercy upon him), who is widely recognized in the contemporary era as a reviver of the science of Ḥadīth, also established principles and guidelines concerning these categories according to his distinctive methodology. In accepting or rejecting mursal, mu‘allaq, and Mu‘ḍal narrations, he partially differed from the majority of Ḥadīth scholars and, on several occasions, adopted independent positions. This discussion aims to clarify the standards of authenticity, evidentiary value, and legal inference of these categories of Ḥadīth according to Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī, and to identify where his methodology aligns with the principles of the majority of scholars and where it diverges. In this chapter, we will attempt not only to understand Shaykh Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī’s methodology in light of primary and secondary sources, but also to analyze his practical applications and examples so that a clear framework of his principles regarding mursal, mu‘allaq, and Mu‘ḍal narrations may emerge.