Theory and Practice of ‘Ulûm al-Hadîts by Mahmud Yunus (1899-1982): A Descriptive-Analytical Study

Abstract

This article aims to reveal the theory and practice of ‘Ulûm al-Hadîts by Prof. Mahmud Yunus (1899-1982) through a descriptive-analytical study. This book is a significant intellectual work that has influenced the development of hadith sciences in Indonesia. The study is conducted through a literature review using qualitative research methods, and the presentation is descriptive-analytical. The research findings indicate that the book "Ilmu Mushthalah al-Hadîts" was written by Mahmud Yunus in Arabic. In contrast, the book "Ilmu Mushthalah Hadis" was co-written with H. Mahmud Aziz in Indonesian. The first book is a summary of several "Ilmu Mushthalah al-Hadîts" books, systematically compiled based on certain pointers and used as a reference for madrasahs and pesantrens. The second book was written to prevent people from being deceived by hadiths whose authenticity cannot be verified, whether delivered orally in speeches or written in books. Both books discuss topics related to hadith transmission and narrators, as well as the study of hadith chains (sanad). Mahmud Yunus successfully advocated for the inclusion of hadith studies in the education curriculum as a separate subject from Islamic Religious Education. In practice, Mahmud Yunus also cited hadiths in various books he authored, although generally, the citations did not include complete references to the sanad, matn, and rawi. This indicates that his citations did not directly refer to the original source books of the hadiths. One notable contribution of Mahmud Yunus in the field of hadith sciences is his criticism of the "Shahîhain" books, which he argued had omitted several hadiths that met the criteria for sahih hadith, based on the opinion of ad-Daruquthnî (306-385 H), as well as his strict stance against weak (dha'îf) hadiths