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_-_The_Importance_and_History_of_the_Isnad_001.jpg) Another important tool used in the preservation of hadeeth
was the Isnad system that was developed uniquely by the Muslim nation. The
Isnad system is where one states his sources of information, in turn
tracing that narrative all the way back to the Prophet, may God bless him.
The importance of the Isnad has been eloquently
stated by Abdullah ibn al-Mubaarak who said, “The Isnad is part of the
religion. If it were not for the Isnad anyone would say whatever he
wishes to say.” Indeed, the
Isnad has been essential in separating the authentic from the weak hadeeth
and in identifying the fabricated hadeeth. Even today, no one can dare narrate
a hadeeth without possibly being asked to provide the source of that hadeeth. Ibn
al-Mubaarak continued and said, “If you ask the person where he got the hadeeth
from he will [be forced to] become silent.” The Isnad acted and acts as
a type of guarantee or safeguard for the authenticity of the hadeeth. The
early scholars of hadeeth would not even consider a hadeeth if it had no known Isnad
to it.
Concerning the importance of the Isnad, Sufyaan
al-Thauri (d. 161) said, “The Isnad is the sword of the believer. Without
his sword with him with what will he fight?” By the use of the Isnad,
the Muslim scholars were able to eradicate (or “fight”) the innovations that some
people tried to bring into Islam. Muhammad ibn Seereen (d. 110), Anas ibn
Seereen, Al-Dhahaak and Uqba ibn Naafi have all been reported to have said, “This
knowledge [of hadeeth] is the religion, therefore, look to see from whom you are
taking your religion.” Since the Sunnah
forms an essential part of Islam, accepting hadeeth from a certain person is
similar to taking one’s religion from him. Hence, one must be careful only to
take his religion from people who are trustworthy and who can trace what they
have said back to the Prophet and this can only be done through the use of the Isnad.
This system was even more of a safeguard than today’s
system of publication and copyrighting. Hamidullah wrote:
“Modern scholars quote, in learned works, the sources
of important statements of facts. But even in the most carefully documented
works, there are two drawbacks:
(a) In case of published works, there is little or no
possibility of verifying whether there are any misprints or other inaccuracies¾ this would not happen if one were to depend on a work only after
hearing [it] from the author himself, or obtaining a copy certified by the
author, or¾ in case of old works¾ by those who
have had the opportunity of hearing it from the author, or his authorized
transmitter.
(b) One is contented now-a-days with one’s immediate
source, without much caring to trace the preceding sources of that source, and
mounting in seriatim up to the eye-witness of the event. In Hadeeth works the
case has been different…”
In conclusion, one may state that the Isnad is an
essential component of every hadeeth as without it there is no way for anyone
to verify the authenticity of the narration. Abdullah ibn al-Mubaarak
certainly spoke the truth when he said that without the Isnad anyone is
free to say whatever he wishes to say and claim that it is part of the religion
of Islam. The
importance of the Isnad is, in fact, very obvious and very few have ever
questioned its importance. More important, therefore, is a discussion of when
the Isnad began to be used for if it were not until a long time after
the death of the Prophet, it would, in fact, be useless.
In his Ph.D. dissertation, Umar Fullaatah has discussed the
history of the Isnad in great detail. Due to space limitations, it is
not possible to present his discussion in detail. However, he has made the
following important conclusions:
Concerning when the Isnad was first used with
respect to the transmitting of hadeeth, he states that, by default, the
Companions used to use Isnads but since there was usually no
intermediary between them and the Messenger of God it was not obvious that they
were relating through the Isnad. The Companions would either narrate
the hadeeth in a manner that made it clear that they heard it directly from the
Prophet, or in a manner that made it clear that they may not have heard that
particular hadeeth directly from the Prophet. Fullaatah states that the vast
majority of the hadeeth of the Companions were those hadeeth that they had
heard directly from the Messenger of God. Therefore, the Isnad was
first used during the time of the Companions although, it may be said, that it
was hardly noticeable.
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