Reflection on the Title of Understanding Hadith

The necessity of employing similar terms and literature in the field of Islamic sciences and especially the study of hadith is one of the subjects which have been neglected by Muslim scholars. Of these sciences is the science of understanding hadith which is known by different names, such as “the principles of hadith”, “the term hadith” and “the rules of hadith”. These titles are more common in the books of Sunnis and the Shiite sources mainly use the term “Understanding Hadith”. In this article the following issues have been discussed:First, what is the subject of the science of understanding hadith with reference to the books written on this science? Which title is more appropriate for this science? Is the term understanding hadith was first introduced by the second martyr or he has taken this term from others? This article is an attempt to answer these questions and it concludes that the subject of this science is the documents of hadith. Unlike what is commonly known, the second martyr did not establish this title. Finally it introduces “the term hadith” as the proper title of this science.