"اعتقادی مسائل میں خبر واحد کی حجیت: امام فخرالدین رازی کے موقف کا تجزیاتی مطالعہ"

THE AUTHORITY OF KHABAR AL-ĀḤĀD IN DOCTRINAL MATTERS: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF FAKHR AL-DĪN AL-RĀZĪ’S POSITION"

Abstract

This study critically analyzes the five arguments presented in Asās al-Taqdīs regarding the unreliability of solitary reports (khabar al-āḥād) in matters of Islamic creed (`ʿaqīdah`). The arguments emphasize that such reports are inherently speculative, that the Companions themselves transmitted conflicting narrations, and that fabricated traditions introduced by heretics were sometimes accepted by hadith scholars due to their sincerity and lack of suspicion. Furthermore, the criteria of hadith criticism often excluded narrators for minor theological inclinations, while overlooking reports that undermine divine attributes. Additionally, the long temporal gap between hearing and transmitting narrations raises the likelihood of forgetfulness and distortion. Collectively, these arguments lead to the conclusion that the foundations of creed should be established upon the Qur’an, mutawātir reports, and sound reason, rather than solitary traditions which remain probabilistic and prone to error.