Ḥadīth - (حديث) Biographical evaluation, (Arabic: `ilm al-rijāl;
عِلْمُ الرِّجال), literally: "knowledge of men", refers to a
discipline of Islamic religious studies within hadith
terminology in which the narrators of hadith are evaluated. Its
goal is to distinguish authentic hadith from hadith unacceptable
in establishing sanctioned religious knowledge or practice. `Ilm
ar-rijal is synonymous with what is commonly referred to as al-
jarḥ wa al-taʻdīl (discrediting and accrediting) – the criticism
and declared acceptance of hadith narrators.[footnote 1] In his
Introduction to the Science of Hadith, Ibn al-Salah, a renowned
hadith specialist, explained the importance of the study of
hadith narrators. Introducing the chapter entitled, 'Recognizing
the trustworthy, reliable narrators and those who are weak and
unreliable,' Ibn al-Salah said, "This is from the most
distinguished and noble types (of hadith study) as it results in
recognizing the authenticity of a hadith or its weakness." He
then explained that any