'ilm al-hadith

'ilm al-hadith

Form of analysis established by 9th-century Muslim traditionalists to verify the merits of the Hadith. Of the many accounts of Muhammad's statements and actions that constituted the Hadith, some were thought to be forgeries or of doubtful reliability. Scholars judged their merit by scrutinizing the isnads that detailed the chain of authority through which the story had been handed down.