An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ḥadith

The present era is a time of vogue for various scientific disciplines with a focus on applied philosophy which is usually referred to in Iranian culture as "combined philosophy". In a general classification, the combined philosophies are of two kinds: in some sorts, there is a combination between philosophy and another discipline and in the other, there is a link between philosophy and an objective reality. The purpose behind all combined philosophies is to develop, evolve, deepen and finally revise the material discussed in the relevant discipline or subject. The present study is an attempt to establish a theoretical basis for a new philosophical system, i.e. Philosophy of Hadith, a combined philosophy which is a philosophy as combined with an objective reality. For this purpose, first we will discuss about the nature of Philosophy of Hadith, then the concept of "selection" as a pivotal element in formation of Hadīth literature will be reviewed and finally we will elaborate on the two stages of Hadīth formations: "subjective realization" and "verbal realization". In subjective realization, the psychological and sociological elements plus the narrator's understanding are regarded as the factors influencing in the formation of Hadīth at this level, and in verbal realization different regional and social dialects and the physiological features of language will be introduced as effective elements.