المعنى الاصطلاحي :

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A science that examines the backgrounds, conditions, etc. of the Hadith narrators.

الشرح المختصر :

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"`Ilm-ur-Rijaal" (biographical evaluation of Hadith narrators/study of narrators) is a science of Hadith studies that helps establish the accuracy of Hadiths by identifying their authenticity or weakness. It has two categories: 1. The narrators' background, with a special attention to the trustworthy, the weak, the disagreed on, those accused of "tadless" (reporting a narration from someone as if one heard it directly from him, while in reality he did not) or mental confusion, etc. 2. The narrators' biography, which is concerned with establishing with accuracy the names, nicknames, family background, titles, birth and death dates, countries, teachers, students, sons, brothers, fathers, and other information that are helpful to distinguish between them, and thus avoid mistaking one narrator for another in judging their credibility.

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