The Narrators Described as Unaware of Those They Narrated from: An Applied Study in the Sunan of Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmidhi.

Abstract

#In this research, we present a study on the narrators described as unaware of those they narrated from in the Sunan of Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmidhi. These narrators are organized according to the alphabetical order of their names, and their profiles are extracted from books of criticism and appraisal. All their hadiths are extracted from the original sources of hadith literature, and their chains of narration are studied. The research also mentions the judgments passed on these narrators by early and contemporary scholars, supported by various routes, follow-ups, and evidences.

The research concludes with a set of findings, including:

• The term "lack of awareness" refers to the non-convergence between the narrator and the one being narrated from, either due to the narrator not living in the same era or having lived in the same era but not meeting each other. This can be determined by referring to the birth and death dates of the narrators.

• The number of narrators described by Imam Abu Dawood in his Sunan as unaware (ten narrators), a description that was also agreed upon by other scholars such as Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn 'Adi, Ibn Hibban, Al-Bayhaqi, and Ibn Hajar. The number of narrators described by Imam Al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan as unaware (thirteen narrators), with ten of them being described by the Imam himself and two narrators whom Imam Al-Bukhari inquired about, a description that was also supported by Al-Bayhaqi, Abu Hatim, and Ibn Hibban.

• The term "lack of awareness" indicates a discontinuity in the chain of narrators. However, this was not the sole reason for the weakness of the chains of narration; there were other factors involved.

• The number of weak hadiths in Abu Dawood's collection due to lack of awareness, weakness of narrators, and confusion amounts to six hadiths, while the number of good hadiths with other supporting routes and evidences amounts to four hadiths. Similarly, the number of weak hadiths in Al-Tirmidhi's collection due to lack of awareness and weakness of narrators is five hadiths, while the number of good hadiths with other supporting routes and evidences amounts to eight hadiths.