Travel in Search of Knowledge in Early Hadith Science: al-Rāmahurmuzī's Conception of al-riḥla fī ṭalab al-'ilm in al-Muḥaddith al-fāṣil bayna al-rāwī wa-l-wā'ī

I-Wen Su

《Concentric： Literary and Cultural Studies》 48卷2期 (2022/09) Pp. 47-68

https://doi.org/10.6240/concentric.lit.202209_48(2).0004

摘要

This study analyzes al-Rāmahurmuzī's discussion of al-riḥla fī ṭalab al-'ilm (＂travel in pursuit of knowledge＂) in his al-Muḥaddith al-fāṣil bayna al-rāwī wa-l-wā'ī (＂The Hadith Specialist Who Distinguishes between the Transmitter and the Attentive Listener＂), the first compendium on the sciences of hadith, with regard to the motives that influenced his perception of such travel. By examining his selection, organization, and juxtaposition of source material, this paper reveals his rather unusual approach to al-riḥla fī ṭalab al-'ilm. Al- Rāmahurmuzī availed himself of reports of the Companions (al-ṣaḥāba) and Successors (al-tābi'ūn) traveling in pursuit of hadith. However, unlike other contributors to hadith handbooks, he does not mention any Prophetic hadith that praise ṭalab al-'ilm (＂pursuit of knowledge＂), which would constitute an abundant repertoire of source material, as evident in the major hadith collections before him. Rather, the lion's share of his discussion is devoted to the polemical exchange between the advocates and opponents of al-riḥla fī ṭalab al-'ilm, in addition to literary sources. The present study argues that his depiction of travel in pursuit of knowledge is foremost dictated by his attempts to defend the rectitude of the ahl al-ḥadīth (＂the specialists of hadith＂) and to establish the complementarity of al-dirāya (＂discernment＂) and al-riwāya (＂transmission＂). These two objectives also constitute the leitmotifs underlying his compilation of al-Muḥaddith al-fāṣil; that is, he conceptualizes al-riḥla fī ṭalab al-'ilm within the epistemological and methodological framework that al-dirāya in the comprehension and application of hadith is inherently entwined with the assiduous and meticulous attitude of the ahl al-ḥadīth towards al-riwāya.

關鍵字

al-Rāmahurmuzī ； al-riḥla fī ṭalab al-'ilm ； ahl al-ḥadīth ； the sciences of hadith ('ulūm al-ḥadīth) ； al-Muḥaddith al-fāṣil bayna al-rāwī wa-l-wā'ī ； hadith

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