The Characteristics of Ikhtisār Genre in Hadīth Methodology Literature

The first example of summary (ikhtisār) studies in hadith methodology was put forward by al-Nawawī (d. 676/1277), depending on Ibn al-Salāh’s (d. 643/1245) Ma‘rifatu anwā‘i ‘ilmi'l-hadīth. It has been continuing its existence uninterruptedly since the Islamic seventh/Gregorian thirteenth century to present. This article aims to identify, classify and analyze the elements that reflect the characteristics of the abbreviation literature in hadith methodology, based on the theoretical explanations and practices of the authors of abbreviation. The expressions of the authors of ikhtisār in the introduction parts of their works and the content of the works were scanned for this purpose, key concepts, expressions and applications that reflect the characteristics of the genre and the aims of the authors were determined and classified under certain headings. It has been determined that the concise activity/type, which focuses on summarizing, shortening and simplifying one or more texts previously written, has some secondary purposes in addition to this main purpose. The aforementioned secondary purposes are found in all abridgements, albeit at different rates. The features of abbreviations in hadith method are discussed under the following headings: summarizing and shortening the text, collecting information from previous works, organizing and systematizing the subjects, facilitating the understanding and learning of the subjects, criticizing the views of the authors of the original book or other books related to the field, completing the missing subjects, choosing among different opinions, correcting wrong opinions, explaining the closed issues. The study is based on the hypothesis that the type of abbreviation does not only contain the purpose of shortening and summary, and focuses on the concepts that support this hypothesis. Another issue dealt with in the study is the determination of the issues that the authors of the summary do not want to have in their works in terms of the copyright style and purpose of the genre. These are also classified under the following headings: dispositions that will distort or change the meaning, lengthening the text unnecessarily, shortening the text excessively, adding unnecessary and empty words, repetition. It is also necessary to focus on the extent to which the authors have successfully applied the aforementioned issues in their works. The study presents a critical approach to the idea that the search for novelty in the field of copyright in Islamic sciences came to an end, the imitation mentality became widespread, and the works of repetition were produced, especially in the Islamic fifth century and later.

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