Imam Al-Nesai’s Uniqueness and Approach in Defective Narration: A Study of the Hadiths Narrated Uniquely in his Book Al-Sunan Al-Sughra

Abstract

This study aims to trace the hadiths narrated uniquely by Imam Al-Nesa'i in Al-Sunan Al-Sughra in terms of unique narrator of hadith, unique verbal expression, unique narration transmission chain, mention of the Prophet’s companion in the hadith, or other types of uniqueness through which the hadith is elevated. Limited to the hadiths narrated uniquely by Al-Nasa'i without mentioning contradictions, the study seeks to understand Imam Al-Nesai’s concept of uniqueness through practical application, his methodology in narration, the indicators he used, and the impact of Al-Nesa'i's rulings on the hadiths narrated uniquely by subsequent scholars who transmitted his words in their compilations.  The inductive analytical approach was followed.  The study key findings revealed that uniqueness in the perspective of hadith scholars has multi-layered meaning and is not limited to the exclusivity of one narrator over others. It includes an increase in trust and other factors. Uniqueness is a presumption of the defective cause, and not every hadith narrated uniquely by a trustworthy narrator is considered authentic; rather, it includes the authentic, the good, and the weak. The reluctance of scholars to accept uniqueness is attributed to the presumptions that prioritize narration.