Editing Biographical evaluation (section)

===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"/>