A Critical Analysis of Sanad and Matan of Hadith on Radha'ah: Integrating Fiqh and Contemporary Medical Science
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12928/taqaddumi.v6i1.14934Keywords:
Sanad and Matn Criticism, Radha'ah, Breastfeeding Fiqh, Child Nutrition, Hadith on BreastfeedingAbstract
Studies on hadiths concerning breastfeeding have largely focused on proving the sahih-da'if status of their sanad and matn, without explicitly connecting them to the discourse of family fiqh and contemporary nutritional findings. This article critiques the sanad and matn of the hadith narrated by Ahmad ibn Hanbal (no. 4114) and Abu Dawud (no. 2059) regarding the amount of suckling that establishes a mahram relationship, then integrates the results of this critique with the views of the four schools of fiqh on radha'ah as well as scientific evidence on the benefits of breastfeeding for infant growth and development. This research is qualitative in nature with a library research approach, employing the methods of takhrij al-hadith, sanad criticism (al-jarh wa al-ta'dil, i'tibar), and matn criticism (al-Idlibi's criteria) as the main analytical tools. The findings show that although the sanad of the hadith is deemed da'if due to two narrators being classified as majhul, the matn is declared sahih because it is supported by syawahid (supporting chains) from the route of Ummu Salamah in Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasa'i, and Sahih Ibn Hibban, and does not contradict the Qur'an, reason, or stronger hadiths. The authenticity of this matn is reinforced by its alignment with the consensus of jurists across schools that suckling which affects the growth of the baby's bones and flesh carries legal implications of mahram, and it also corresponds with contemporary medical-nutritional evidence that breastfeeding plays a vital role in physical growth, immunity, and cognitive development of infants. The main contribution of this article is to offer a model of hadith criticism that is integrative—historical-critical, fiqh-based, and scientific—as a more robust argumentative foundation in responding to the shifting breastfeeding culture in modern society.
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