Page 187 - History of The Quranic Text | Kalamullah.Com

THE MUSLIM EDUCATIONAL METHODOLOGY 167

2. Personal Contact: An Essential Elementfir Learning

Time is an essential reference for all events: past, present and future. The
present moment instantaneously becomes part of the past; as soon as it
does so, it isimperceptible. Most past incidents escape our grasp and remain
intangible, but if they do approach us indirectly (such as through written
material) then the accuracy of the information becomes a key concern.
When the Prophet passed into history, and preservation of the Book and
sunna came to rest on the Companions' shoulders, the community set up an
intricate system to minimise the uncertainties inherent in the transfer of
knowledge. This was based on the law of witness.
Consider this simple statement: A drank some water from a cup while
standing. We know of this person's existence, but to verify this statement's
truth based on reason is impossible. Perhaps A did not drink the water at
all,or drank it bycupping his hands, or whilesitting;none of these possibilities
can be excluded by deduction. So the case hinges on the truthfulness of
the narrator and his accuracy as an observer. Thus C, a newcomer who
has not seen the incident, must rely for his information on the eyewitness
account of B. In reporting this event to others C must then specify his
source, so that the statement's veracity depends on:
1. B's accuracy in observing the incident, and his truthfulness in
reporting it.
2. C's accuracy in comprehending the information, and his own
truthfulness in reporting it.
Venturing into the personal livesof Band Cwould not generally interest
the critic or historian, but Muslim scholars viewed the subject differently.
In their opinion anyone making statements aboutA was testifying, or bearing
witness, to whatA had done; likewise Cwas bearing witness to B'saccount,
and so on with each person testifying about the preceding narrator in the
chain. Validating this report meant a critical examination of each element
within this chain.

3. Beginning andDevelopment if the Isniid System

This method was the genesis of the isniid (~I.:....J) system. Originating during
the Prophet's lifetime and developing into a proper science by the end of
the first century A.H., its foundations lay in the Companions' custom of
relating hadiths to each other. Some of them made arrangements to attend
the Prophet's circle in shifts, informing the others of what they had seen
or heard;' in so doing they must naturally have said, "The Prophet did so

7 Al-Bukhari, Sa!;!!;, Bab at-Tanawub fi al-Tlm.