Description:

This theme establishes the methodological and epistemological foundations required for rigorous Hadith research. It covers the nature, scope and purposes of Hadith and Sunnah studies; the major branches of ‘Ulum al-Hadith; formulation of research problems, gaps, objectives and research questions; selection and hierarchy of primary and secondary sources; differentiation between Hadith texts, scholarly interpretations and contemporary empirical evidence; research design; source criticism; evidence evaluation; scholarly interpretation; methodological transparency; ethics; limitations; validation and responsible use of digital and AI-assisted research tools. The theme provides researchers with a foundational framework for designing Hadith studies that maintain scholarly rigor while integrating classical Islamic scholarship with appropriate contemporary research methods.