Journal of Islamic Studies > Volume 29, No. 1, 2017

Concept of Tibaaq in the Hadith Discipline: Definition, Evolution, Importance and Benefits \ Saleh Abduallah Al-Sayyah

Abstract

This research is concerned with the concept of tibaaq. The concept is commonly used by Hadith specialists, especially later ones, in books of taraajim, jarh, ta'deel and mustalah as well as in handwritten manuscripts. The research aims to: define the tibaaq concept form the linguistic and the technical points of view; show the relationship between the two definitions; establish the historical evolution of the term; describe tibaaq in terms of format, content and mode; and highlight the importance and benefits of tibaaq. The research follows an analytical inductive methodology. Among the research's important findings are: tibaaq highlights the Muslims' great care for  their academic achievements, for tibaaq is not just a term, but is a reflection of the critical methodology applied by Hadith specilaists in dealing with Sunnah books and narrations for the purposes of safe and sound reporting; tibaaq and related new methodology have given rise to great changes in aspects of Hadith sciences, rules and requirements; it has been used widely in recent studies on jarh and ta'deel (processes of establishing incredibility or credibility of a narrator); in fact, Hadith specialists now require that a narrator's name has to be mentioned in the related tibaaq document, otherwise the narrator's calim to have listened to the book in question is not considered a vaild claim; and the most significant evolution of tibaaq is the writing of the tibaaq certificate or testimony. The  research recoomends that the styles and methodologies applied by Hadith specialits should be studied, and so should their impact on the  narrators and the narrated contents.

Keywords: tibaaq –  listening – articulation – equivalence – matching listening content with written content - documentation      

(Received 23/09/2015; accepted for publication 04/11/2015.)