Mokhamad Rohma Rozikin
The ḥadīth ‘al-farāʾiḍ niṣf al-ʿilm’ is often cited without verification, including by Western scholars, particularly J. N. D. Anderson who interpret it literally. Unauthenticated ḥadīths are prone to methodological bias and normative error; therefore, their authenticity and legal implications warrant critical scrutiny. This study analyses the ḥadīth using sanad and matan criticism and explores interpretations of ‘half knowledge’ and their implications. Using a qualitative Critical Ḥadīth Studies framework, 13 sources were assessed in a takhrīj evaluating transmitters and context. Ḥadīth compilations, works of criticism, and tafsīr literature were mapped to identify evaluative patterns and interpretive diversity. Across thirteen collections, the ḥadīth was graded ḍaʿīf to ḍaʿīf jiddan. The hadith serves as a pedagogical stimulus, not a normative legal basis. Weak hadiths can undermine fatwas and legal certainty; therefore, inheritance law must rest on rigorous epistemic validation and integrate contemporary hadith criticism in legal education. This research represents a methodological innovation, moving hadith criticism away from mere descriptive narration toward an integrated epistemic-juridical analysis anchored in the new direction of Critical Hadith Studies. It further demonstrates how systematic mapping of interpretive approaches yields a replicable model that advances current methods of hadith authentication. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia
