The Uselessness of the Four Categories of Ahadith with Considering the Inadequacies of Rijali Sources

We have received Sunnah as the most comprehensive source for the knowledge of the religion that except in rare cases, it provides us the details of the religious teachings through k̲h̲abar al-āḥād (tradition or report going back to one single authority). It should be relied on signs to establish authenticity that they have been issued by the infallibles (Arabic: ﻣﻌﺼÜﻮﻣﻮä Masūmūn). In the four categories of ahadith which have been suggested by Sayyed Ibn Tawus (Arabic: ﺳﯿﺪ ﺑﻦ ﻃﺎææÓ ) and ʻAllāmah Ḥillī (Arabic: ﻋﻼﻣﻪ ﺣﻠÜﯽ ) in the 7th century A.H., all signs have been restricted to the sanad (a 'chain' of the narrators) and in consequent, the evaluation (validity) of them is practically the responsibility of rijal sources. From the other side, rijali sources face the different inadequacies and actually, many of ahadith have been counted weak ( dhaif). At first in this paper, The author has presented a report of the historical process of two and four categories of ahadith and in the second stage, for proving the uselessness of this four classifications for being dependent to rijali sources, he has studied three inadequacies which are: the absence of Jarh wa Tadeel (Arabic: ÇﻟﺠÜÜﺮÍ æﺗﻌÜÜﺪﯾﻞ -criticism and praise) in rijali sources 2. not being mentioned considerable hadith narrators by rijali sources 3. being disagreement between theoretical bases of the rijal scholars.