The Isnad and Matn Analysis of "There Is No Contagion..." Hadith Narration

Abstract

Hadiths which mentions that "there is no contagion" has been criticised because of its externally contradictory content in the face of reason and also other hadith narrations. Ibn Qutayba (d.276/879), in his monumental work on "mukhtalifu'l-hadith" which is Ta'wilu Mukhtalifi'l-Hadith, clarified the meaning of this hadith by dividing diseases into two: Communicable diseases like plague and non-communicable diseases like leprosayi: However, Abu Bakr arRazi (b.251/865-d.313/925)who is a prominent medical scholar of third century AH, accepts both plague and leprosy as a communicable disease. These different approachs to the contagion affects the perception on "there is no contagion"narrations and directs us to focus on these narrattions. In our study first of all, the isnad of each hadith variant which is narrated within the al-Kutub al-Sittah will be examined, then secondly the meanings of these narrations will be clarifed by performing text analysis. At the end of the study, the results which is obtained during the study will be presented.