Editing Biographical evaluation (section)

== History ==
{{quote box |align=right |width=29% |quote=The following [[Qur'an]]ic verse established a general principal in '''biographical evaluation''':<ref name="Ilm R 18-20">''ʻIlm al-rijāl wa Ihimmiyyatuh'', by al-Mu'allimee, pp. 18–20, Dar al-Rayah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1996.</ref> "O you who believe, if a wrongdoer should approach you conveying information, then verify that so as not to fall into ignorance thus regretting what you have done."<ref name="Quran">The [[Qur'an|Quran]], ''Surah al-Hujarat'', 6th verse.</ref>}}

===Time of the Companions===
While many [[Sahaba|Companions]] narrated hadith, according to [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]] there were six who were the most prolific narrators of them, who lived long lives enabling them narrate to a large extent. They were: [[Abu Hurairah|Abu Huraira]], [[Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab|Abdullah ibn Umar]], [[Aisha]], [[Jabir ibn Abd-Allah|Jabir ibn Abdullah]], [[`Abd Allah ibn `Abbas|Ibn Abbas]] and [[Anas ibn Malik]] with [[Abu Hurairah|Abu Huraira]] being the most prolific of them.<ref name="Muqaddimah 492">''Muqadimah Ibn al-Salah'', by Ibn al-Salah, edited by 'Aishah bint 'Abd al-Rahman, p. 492, ''Dar al-Ma'arif'', Cairo.</ref> According to Ibn al-Salah the most prolific narrators from the Companions was Abu Huraira followed by Ibn Abbas.<ref name="Muqaddimah 492"/>

In spite of the Companions' efforts in narrating their hadith, there was no need for them to evaluate each other's narrating capabilities or trustworthiness. This is because, as [[Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi]] said, that Allah and his Prophet declared the Companions to be upright and trustworthy, and, therefore, there is no need to investigate their reliability, however, one must investigate the condition of those after them.<ref>''Al-Kifayah'', by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, p. 46, ''Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah'', Beirut, Lebanon, 1988; this edition is apparently based upon the original Indian printing.</ref> However, there are many established narrations originating from the Companions praising some of the [[Tabi'un]] with some criticism of specific individuals from them.<ref name="Ilm R 18-20"/> and al-Baghdadi's stance is contrary to modern approaches like [[historical criticism]].

===After the Companions===
As for the [[Tabi'un]], the generation following the Companions, their praise of narrators was plentiful, while disparagement from them was seldom. Those narrators who were criticized from the Followers were not criticized for [[Hadith terminology#Mawdo`|fabricating hadith]], but, instead, due to heresy, such as the [[Kharijites]], or due to weak memory or due to their condition as narrators being unknown.<ref name="Ilm R 18-20"/>

Evaluating the narrators of hadith began in the generation following that of the Companions based upon the statement of [[Ibn Sirin|Muhammad Ibn Sirin]], "They did not previously inquire about the [[Science of hadith#The sanad and the matn|''isnad'']]. However, after the turmoil occurred they would say, 'Name for us your narrators.' So the people of the [[Sunnah]] would have their hadith accepted and the people of [[Bid‘ah|innovation]] would not."<ref>Reported by Muslim in the introduction to his [[Sahih Muslim|''Sahih'']], vol. 1, p. 8.</ref> The ''turmoil'' referred to is the conflicting ideology of the [[Shia Islam|Shias]] after the passing of the Prophet, and later the Kharijites that had emerged at the time of the third Sunni [[Caliph]] [[Uthman ibn Affan]]'s assassination and the social unrest of the Kharijites in opposition to the succeeding rulers, [[Ali]] and [[Muawiyah I|Muawiyah]].<ref>This is the explanation provided by al-Qurtubi in ''al-Mufhim'', vol. 1, pgs. 122-3 as quoted in ''Qurrah Ayn Al-Muhtaj'', vol. 2, pg 58.</ref> The death of Uthman was in the year 35 after the migration.<ref>''Al-Bidayah wa Al-Nihayah'', by [[Ibn Kathir]], vol. 10, p. 323, ''Dar Alam al-Kutub''.</ref>

In the following generation, [[Tabi' al-Tabi'in]], and afterward, the weak, unacceptable narrators increased in number, necessitating that a group of scholars clarify the condition of the narrators and distinguishing any narrations that were not [[Hadith terminology#Sahih|authentic]].<ref name="Ilm R 18-20"/>

====Early specialists====
According to Ibn al-Salah, quoting an early religious authority, the first to specialize in the study of hadith narrators was [[Shuʿba Ibn al-Ḥajjāj]], followed by Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Qattan and then [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]] and [[Yahya ibn Ma'in]].<ref name="Muqaddimah 101"/> Al-Bulqini added some names to the aforementioned: [[Ali ibn al-Madini]] and 'Amr ibn 'Ali al-Fallas, and then mentioned [[Malik ibn Anas]] and [[Hisham ibn Urwah]] as having preceded them in evaluating narrators.<ref name="Muqaddimah 654-5"/>