A Study and Assessment of Two Expressions in the Science of Hadith

Normally, hadiths consist of the two elements of text and the chain of transmission. There are two ways to study and analyze hadiths. The first is to study the text which is an internal research. The second is to study the chain of transmission which is considered an external study. The latter is based upon the science of authorities and contextual study of hadiths. In contextual study, the chain of transmission is analyzed regarding continuity, discontinuity, etc. In the study of authorities, the states of hadith narrators are investigated so as to determine their validity or invalidity and eventually the credit of narrations themselves. This process is subject to some rules and criteria in a branch of the science which is exactly organized and stated in the form of specific terms and expressions. One of these expressions is "moqarib al-hadith" whose meaning, implication and its position in the science of authorities is studied in this article.