The Viewpoint of the Narrators of Traditions (Rijāl) of Qum School of Ḥadīth on " Sound and Weak Ḥadīth"

The sound ḥadīth has its standards with the transmitters of ḥadīth and researchers, by the help of which it is distinguished from the non-sound and weak ḥadīth. These criteria are considerably different to the earlier transmitters of ḥadīth from the criteria existing with the later transmitters of ḥadīth. These differences are due to the evidences that are at the disposal of each of these two groups; many of the evidences of the first group are not available to the second group; and this very issue is considered as the source of disagreement between the two groups concerning the sound and weak ḥadīth. This article studies and analyzes the viewpoint of Shaykh Kulaynī and Shaykh Ṣadūq, two of the most distinguished scholars trained in the Qum school of ḥadīth, concerning the sound and weak ḥadīth in different legal, theological, and interpretational fields, and explains the status of sound and weak ḥadīth with the earlier and later transmitters of ḥadīth and the way they dealt with these two categories of ḥadīth.