The Narrators Whom Imam Al-Dhahabi Deemed 'Tālif' in His Book Al-Mughni fi Al-Du'afa: A Comparative Study of Hadiths

This study examines the narrators whom Imām Al-Dhahabi described with the term “tālif” (worthless) in his book Al-Mughni fi Al-Du'afa, through a comparative hadith-based analysis. The research aims to explore the meaning of this term, its critical implications, and Al-Dhahabi’s methodology in applying it, by comparing his assessments with those of other prominent hadith critics. An inductive, analytical, and critical approach was adopted to examine the biographies (tarājim) of four narrators and the critical remarks made about them by various scholars, in order to uncover the precision and consistency in Al-Dhahabi use of the term. The study concludes that the label “tālif” indicates the narrator’s complete rejection due to reasons such as lying, severe memory weakness, or frequent transmission of munkar (denounced) narrations. The findings demonstrate that Al-Dhahabi employed the term with considerable accuracy, and often in agreement with other critics. This research addresses a scholarly gap by independently studying this specific disparaging term, thereby contributing to a clearer understanding of Al-Dhahabi critical methodology and supporting the broader science of Al-Jarh wa Al-Ta'dil (narrator criticism and validation).