Quran and Hadith Studies
Source Identification and Authentication of the Hadith “The Best of Affairs is the Middle Course” (Khayr al-umūr awsaṭuhā) in the Sources of Both Islamic Sects
Document Type : Review Article
Author
Associate Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Islamic Law, Bozorgmehr University of Qaenat, Qaen, Iran.
10.30497/qhs.2025.247622.4078
Abstract
Among the well-known hadiths that describe proper conduct is the narration “The best of affairs is the middle course (khayr al-umūr awsaṭuhā).” In this narration, the best of all actions is described as the most moderate one—such that if a person maintains balance in any matter, they have fulfilled their duty toward it in the best possible way.However, applying this criterion to certain matters—such as intellectual and epistemological issues, as well as moral virtues in individual, social, and even political domains—faces rational and religious challenges. For this reason, the present study seeks both to identify the primary sources of this hadith and to examine the historical origins of its transmission and dissemination, as well as to assess its authenticity from both the chain of transmission (isnād) and textual (matn) perspectives.To this end, the study investigates both Shi‘i and Sunni sources. The narration first appeared in Sunni sources in the second century (AH), transmitted from Muṭarrif ibn Shikhkhīr. In Shi‘i sources, the most important reference is al-Kāfī, where the phrase is attributed to Imam al-Kāẓim (PBUH) in response to a remark about the mount he was riding. All reported versions of this narration—whether from Sunni or Shi‘i sources—are weak in terms of their chains of transmission. The occurrence of this phrase in a popular proverb used to describe mule drivers strengthens the likelihood that Imam al-Kāẓim (PBUH), assuming the authenticity of the report, employed a well-known saying familiar to everyone simply to silence the speaker, without endorsing the content of the original remark.
Keywords
- Source Identification
- Authentication
- The Best of Affairs is the Middle Course
- khayr al-umūr awsaṭuhā
- Imam al-Kāẓim (PBUH)
- Muṭarrif ibn Shikhkhīr
Main Subjects
The Holy Quran.
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