An Analytical Study of the Tahqiq Methodology of ʿAbd Al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah in his Work Al-Rafʿu Wa Al-Takmil Fī Al-Jarh Wa Al-Taʿdil

The intellectual heritage of Islam preserved in classical manuscripts demands meticulous preservation and authentication to remain both authentic and relevant. The process of tahqiq, as a scholarly approach to classical texts plays a vital role in ensuring the accuracy of religious and intellectual narratives within the Islamic tradition. This study focuses on analysing the tahqiq methodology applied by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah in his work al-Rafʿu wa al-Takmil fi al-Jarh wa al-Taʿdil. Employing a qualitative approach, this research utilises content analysis based on library-based sources of the said text. The findings indicate that Abu Ghuddah’s methodology is holistic and meticulous. He conducted comprehensive takhrij of hadiths and quotations, corrected textual errors based on original sources and included brief biographies of narrators to assess their credibility. In addition, he provided critical commentary on technical terms and clarified difficult vocabulary to ensure textual clarity. Abu Ghuddah also structured the book modularly by dividing it into 25 iqad, included a detailed table of contents and added istidrak alongside a star-marking system as an academic navigation tool. The implications of this study are significant both theoretically and practically. It enriches the discourse on tahqiq methodology in classical hadith studies and offers a systematic framework that can serve as a reference for researchers, modern muhaqqiqs and postgraduate students in managing turath texts in an academic and ethical manner. This study also emphasises the importance of safeguarding scholarly disciplines in the digital age which is often exposed to unverified texts.