"Hadith Retrieval from Classical Sources Using the 'Frequent Isnad' Method: An Application to the Works of Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Tatari"

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Reza Khoshhal 1
Seyed Ali Delbari 2
Seyed Ali Sajjadizadeh 3
1 Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
2 Professor of Advanced Jurisprudence and Principles at the Mashhad Seminary and Associate Professor in the Department of Quran and Hadith Sciences at Islamic Sciences University of Razavi
3 Professor of courses outside of jurisprudence and principles of Mashhad and assistant professor of the Department of Quran and Hadith Sciences, Razavi University of Islamic Sciences
10.30497/qhs.2026.248697.4193
Abstract
Given that the presence of weak transmission chains in many hadiths has significantly undermined their credibility and reliability—rendering a large portion of the narrations of lesser value—various methods for retrieving hadiths from classical sources have demonstrated their usefulness in this field. These methods have, to some extent, succeeded in restoring the credibility of a number of such narrations.



This article, employing a descriptive-analytical approach, offers a precise definition of the “Frequent Isnād” method, explores its applicability in the retrieval of classical hadith sources, and implements this method specifically on the hadiths found in the works of ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭāṭarī.



One of the major outcomes of this study is the identification of “frequently occurring chains of transmission” within lesser-known isnāds—chains that, despite their obscurity, have contributed to an increase in the perceived reliability of the associated narrations. More specifically, through applying the Frequent Isnād method to a transmission chain leading from Ibn Samāʿah to Ṭāṭarī, the study demonstrates that seven distinct hadith contents from Ṭāṭarī’s work were transmitted and disseminated, and that the previously weak isnād in two of these narrations has, to some extent, been rehabilitated in terms of authenticity.
Keywords
Hadith Retrieval
Classical Sources
Frequent Isnāds
ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭāṭarī
Subjects
Quran and Hadith Studies‎

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 23 May 2026