Analytical Study of Isnad Structures and Rijal Evaluation in Risalah Qushayriyya

Abstract

This article examines the awareness and application of isnad and rijal principles in al-Risala al-Qushayriyya, with specific reference to the hadith narrations transmitted by Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri. Although Imam al-Qushayri is primarily recognized as a leading authority in Sufism, ethics, and spiritual instruction, his engagement with Prophetic traditions reflects a conscious and disciplined approach to hadith transmission that merits focused academic investigation. The study challenges the assumption that Sufi literature lacks methodological rigor in its use of hadith by demonstrating that Imam al-Qushayri employed isnads with clear awareness of transmission chains, narrators, and scholarly credibility.Using a qualitative textual analysis, the article closely examines selected isnads cited in al-Risala al-Qushayriyya, presenting them in their original Arabic form and analyzing their structural patterns. The study further evaluates the identifiable narrators within these chains through classical rijal sources in order to assess Imam al-Qushayri’s level of engagement with established hadith norms. Rather than positioning him as a compiler of hadith in the technical sense, the article situates Imam al-Qushayri within a genre-sensitive framework, highlighting his conscious selection of narrations for ethical, pedagogical, and spiritual purposes.The findings demonstrate that Imam al-Qushayri avoided anonymous or obscure transmitters, relied on well-known scholarly networks of Nishapur, and displayed consistent awareness of the responsibility associated with Prophetic transmission. His use of isnad reflects not mechanical citation, but methodological intention aligned with Sunni hadith ethics. By situating Imam al-Qushayri between the disciplines of Sufism and Hadith studies, this article contributes to contemporary scholarship by offering a nuanced understanding of hadith usage beyond formal combinatory traditions. It argues that al-Risala al-Qushayriyya represents an important model of ethically grounded and textually responsible hadith engagement within classical Islamic scholarship.

Keywords:

Imam al-Qushayri; al-Risala al-Qushayriyya; Hadith Transmission; Isnad Analysis; Rijal Studies; Sufism and Hadith; Sunni Scholarly Methodology.