The Criteria of Preferential Weighing Based on the Chain of Transmission According to Imam Qiwām al-Sunnah al-Iṣfahānī in His Work Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī

Abstract: This research aims to extract and apply the rules related to al-Tarjīḥ (preference/preponderance) based on the AL-Sanad (chain of narration) between apparently contradictory texts, as presented by Imam Qawwām al-Sunnah al-Aṣbahānī in his book: Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. His commentary included a large number of fundamental jurisprudential principles (Uṣūlī rules) related to resolving apparent conflicts between texts and other matters. This study relies on the Inductive and Analytical methodologies. I will inductively survey everything mentioned by the Imam in his book, and then analyze and utilize the rules he presented that influence the issue of reconciliation through textual interpretation (al-Jamʿ bi-Ta’wīl al-Lafẓ) between conflicting texts, along with a description of his methodology regarding them. The research concluded with several findings, the most prominent of which are: * Sheikh Qawwām al-Sunnah followed the approach of the majority of Uṣūlī scholars regarding the rules of preference based on the AL-Sanad, especially concerning preponderance by greater number. * The research highlighted the extent of Sheikh Qawwām al-Sunnah’s adherence to the principles established by the Uṣūlī scholars concerning preference based on the Sanad. * It demonstrated the importance of tracing Uṣūlī rules within Ḥadīth compilations, as the practical application of these rules gives them a new dimension for consideration, moving them from the realm of Uṣūlī theorization to practical application, thereby testing their accuracy and validity.