Hadith and its sciences

Program Overview

The Hadith specialization is a discipline within the foundations of religion (Usul al-Din) that aims to provide in-depth and specialized training in Hadith and its sciences, such as the sciences of criticism, hidden defects (‘ilal), Hadith jurisprudence (fiqh al-Hadith), Hadith scholars' methodologies, principles of understanding the Sunnah, and studies concerned with refuting allegations against the Sunnah made by its detractors. It ensures comprehensive training in the precise specialization and equips the student with a range of original and contemporary sciences, under the guidance of distinguished training experts with high-level academic expertise and professional experience. To achieve this, a set of objectives are realized, which we summarize as follows:

1/ To provide student researchers with multifaceted skills and diverse mechanisms that qualify them to integrate into the university educational system and engage in serious scientific research; enabling the doctoral student to fully delve into Islamic texts, and then the texts of others, and extract their theological and intellectual implications; capable of Da'wah (invitation to Islam) and dialogue, imbued with their own culture, knowledgeable of other cultures, and able to interact with their society, mastering various media and communication tools.

2/ To provide university staff who can bear the burdens of scientific research, especially with the activation of laboratory roles in training, through the utilization of their spaces, library resources, and the contribution of trained students in supervising their activities.

3/ To deepen academic research in contemporary studies in the foundations of religion across its various specializations.

4/ To foster integration between the various specializations of the department within the faculty, through the organization of training workshops and conferences addressing relevant topics.

5/ To utilize the outputs of scientific research to address the problems of the social, cultural, and intellectual environment.

6/ To train competent researchers in Tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis) and Qur'anic sciences, comparative religion, Islamic creed, and Da'wah and media.

7/ To activate the acquired scientific knowledge in the reality of Algerian society.

8/ The project seeks to ensure training that is consistent with the nature of specializations within the department and contribute to providing continuous and quality training.

9/ To utilize the outputs of scientific research to address the problems of the social, cultural, and intellectual environment.

10/ To conduct a survey of the Algerian interpretive, theological, and Da'wah heritage, and revive it in order to strengthen national values.

11/ To deepen research in the Algerian religious heritage in the field of the foundations of religion.

12/ To enrich the university library by conducting research on specialized topics in the foundations of religion related to the national religious heritage, i.e., creating a research accumulation.

Teaching Language : arabic

Curriculum Highlights

Core Courses

The basic courses for student training are structured around three main cycles:

Firstly: Training courses within the department, including:

Methodology courses
Introductory courses in didactics and pedagogy
Courses in information and communication technologies
Courses to enhance foreign language skills

Secondly: Training courses within the specialization, including the most important specialization modules:

Hadith criticism
Hadith commentaries
Principles of understanding the Sunnah
Research methodology in Hadith sciences

Thirdly: Doctoral training courses, including:

Conferences and workshops

Advanced Topics

Firstly: In-depth studies in Hadith scholars' methodologies and criticism:

In-depth analysis of a specific Imam's approach to narrators' criticism: a detailed study of the critical criteria, specific terminology, and how they are applied by a specific Imam such as Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Hatim, Al-Nasa'i, and others.
A comparative study between Hadith scholars' methodologies on a specific issue: for example, the difference in accepting the narration of Mudallis narrators (those who practice tadlis), or the narration of unknown narrators, or the narration of innovators between two or more Hadith schools.
The impact of the historical and social context on Hadith scholars' methodologies: how the circumstances in which Hadith scholars lived affected the development of their critical methodologies.
Modern applications of the methodologies of early scholars in the criticism of Hadith texts: an attempt to apply the critical tools used by early scholars in the criticism of isnads (chains of narration) to the criticism of texts, taking into account methodological differences.

Secondly: Studies related to Hadith defects (‘ilal):

Developing tools and mechanisms for detecting hidden defects: using modern technologies (such as network analysis or statistical tools) to help detect defects that are difficult to discover using traditional methods.
In-depth study of the types of defects and their impact on the authenticity of Hadith: a detailed analysis of the different types of defects (such as hidden discontinuity, waqf and raf', anomalous additions, substitution, etc.) and an assessment of their impact on the Hadith's grade.
A specific Imam's approach to dealing with defects: a study of how a specific Imam dealt with defective Hadiths and how they weighed between different narrations.

Thirdly: Studies related to Hadith jurisprudence (fiqh al-Hadith) and its principles:

The impact of differences in Hadith scholars' methodologies on the differences among jurists: a study of how the differences among Hadith scholars in accepting or rejecting certain narrations affected the differences among jurists in deriving rulings.
Contemporary applications of the principles of Hadith jurisprudence: an attempt to apply the jurisprudential rules related to understanding Hadith to new and contemporary issues.
A comparative study between the principles of Hadith jurisprudence and the general principles of jurisprudence: exploring the similarities and differences between them, and the possibility of mutual benefit.
The role of linguistic and cultural context in understanding the Prophet's Hadith: an in-depth analysis of how the language and prevailing culture in the Prophet's era influenced the understanding of Hadith meanings.

Fourthly: Studies related to the Hadith manuscript and printed heritage:

Verification and study of rare Hadith manuscripts: working on the verification of unpublished manuscripts, or verifying different copies of them and comparing them, and presenting a scientific study on the author, their methodology, and the importance of the book.
A bibliographic study of the Hadith heritage in a specific region or a specific time period: collecting, classifying, and studying the Hadith books and compilations that appeared in a specific region or time period.
A methodological analysis of an important Hadith compilation: a detailed study of the methodology of the author of a famous Hadith book (such as Sahih al-Bukhari or Sunan Abi Dawood) in arranging the Hadiths, presenting them, and explaining them.

Fifthly: Studies related to modern technologies and serving Hadith:

Developing digital applications and tools to serve Hadith sciences: using artificial intelligence, big data analysis, and web technologies in indexing Hadiths, extracting them, and studying isnads and texts.
A critical study of digital Hadith sources: evaluating the accuracy and reliability of databases and websites specializing in Hadith and its sciences.
Using network analysis techniques in studying narrators and the relationships between them: visualizing and analyzing narrator networks to understand the relationships between students and teachers, and to identify central or questionable narrators.

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Admissions Information

Every international student has the right to join the third cycle (doctorate) program with the following conditions:

A baccalaureate (secondary school diploma) or its equivalent.
A licentiate degree (bachelor's degree) or its equivalent.
A master's degree or its equivalent.

If the candidate does not speak Arabic, they are required to undergo a one-year Arabic language training program at the intensive language education center of the university.

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