Tatsabbut and Taqlīl al-Riwāyah in the Era of the Khulafa al Rasyidin: Epistemic Foundations of Isnād Criticism and Hadith Preservation

Abstract

Abstract

The early post Prophetic period was not merely a transitional moment in Islamic political history but also a decisive phase in the formation of hadith epistemology. This article examines the principles of tatsabbut and taqlīl al-riwāyah during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and argues that these principles constituted the epistemic foundations of later isnād criticism. Previous studies on the development of hadith transmission have often described the caliphal period chronologically, whereas the methodological significance of witness verification, restraint in narration, postponement of official codification, oath-based verification, and control of wording has not been sufficiently conceptualized. This study employs qualitative library research with a historical analytical approach. Primary data are drawn from classical works on hadith sciences and early Islamic history, while secondary data are taken from recent Sinta-indexed and internationally reputed journal articles published between 2018 and 2026. The findings show that Abu Bakr’s request for corroborating witnesses, Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb’s policy of limiting excessive narration, Uthman’s continuation of cautious transmission, and Ali’s use of oaths in politically tense situations reveal an early culture of epistemic verification. The article contributes a new conceptual reading by defining taqlīl al-riwāyah not as anti hadith restraint but as an epistemic strategy for controlling the quality of religious information. Its impact lies in providing a historical foundation for contemporary hadith literacy, especially in resisting viral, decontextualized, and unsourced religious quotations in digital spaces.

Keywords: tatsabbut; taqlīl al-riwāyah; isnād criticism; hadith preservation; Rightly Guided Caliphs