Mustalah al-Hadith inahusishwa kwa karibu sana na Rijal al-Hadith (elimu ya wapokezi wa hadith). Katika kuchunguza wapokezi wa hadith, kauli za kuthibitisha au kukosoa zilizotolewa na wataalamu waliotambulika, miongoni mwa Tabi'un na wale waliofuatia baada yao, zilionekana kuwa na msaada mkubwa. Mifano ya kauli hizo, kwa mpangilio wa kutoka kwenye kauli ya juu kabisa ya kuthibitisha, ni kama ifuatavyo:

Mustalah al-Hadith is strongly associated with Rijal al-Hadith (the study of the reporters of hadith). In scrutinising the reporters of a hadith, authenticating or disparaging remarks made by recognised experts, from amongst the Successors and those after them, were found to be of great help. Examples of such remarks, in descending order of authentication, are:

"Imam (kiongozi), Hafiz (mhifadhi)."

• "Imam (leader), Hafiz (preserver).".

"Mwaminifu, anayeaminika."

• "Reliable, trustworthy.".

"Hufanya makosa."

• "Makes mistakes.".

"Dhaifu."

• "Weak.".

"Ametupwa (na wanahadithi)."

• "Abandoned (by the traditionists).".

• "Mwongo, alitumia kutunga hadithi."5.

• "Liar, used to fabricate ahadith."5.

Wapokeaji wa hadithi ambao wamesifiwa kwa pamoja kwa kauli kama zile mbili za kwanza wanaweza kuchangia isnad ya sahih ("sahihi", tazama baadaye). Isnad inayomhusisha mpokezi anayeelezwa kwa kauli mbili za mwisho huenda ikawa da'if jiddan (dhaifu sana) au maudu' (ya kubuniwa). Wapokezi ambao ni mada ya kauli kama zile mbili za katikati ya orodha hapo juu watafanya isnad kuwa da'if (dhaifu), ingawa wapokezi kadhaa wanaosimulia hadithi hiyo hiyo kwa kujitegemea mara nyingi huinua daraja la hadithi hadi kiwango cha hasan (nzuri). Iwapo maoni kuhusu mpokezi fulani yanapingana, hukumu ya busara inapaswa kufikiwa baada ya uchambuzi wa kina wa mfano sababu iliyotolewa kwa kumkosoa, uzito wa kila aina ya ukosoaji, ukali au wepesi wa kila mkosoaji, n.k.

Reporters who have been unanimously described by statements such as the first two may contribute to a sahih ("sound", see later) isnad. An isnad containing a reporter who is described by the last two statements is likely to be da'if jiddan (very weak) or maudu' (fabricated). Reporters who are the subject of statements such as the middle two above will cause the isnad to be da'if (weak), although several of them relating the same hadith independently will often increase the rank of the hadith to the level of hasan (good). If the remarks about a particular reporter conflict, a careful verdict has to be arrived at after in-depth analysis of e.g. the reason given for any disparagement, the weight of each type of criticism, the relative strictness or leniency of each critic, etc.

Maoni ya awali kabisa yaliyotajwa katika vitabu vya Rijal yanarejea kwa idadi kubwa ya Tabi'un, kisha kwa wale waliofuatia baada yao hadi kipindi cha wanahadithi sita wa vitabu vya msingi, kipindi kinachofunika karne tatu za kwanza za Uislamu. Orodha ya majina kama hayo imetolewa na mwandishi katika tasnifu yake, Criticism of Hadith among Muslims with reference to Sunan Ibn Majah, mwishoni mwa sura ya IV, V na VI. Miongoni mwa kazi za mwanzo zinazopatikana katika uwanja huu ni Tarikh ya Ibn Ma'in (d. 233), Tabaqat ya Khalifa b. Khayyat (d. 240), Tarikh ya al-Bukhari (d. 256), Kitab al-Jarh wa 'l-Ta'dil ya Ibn Abi Hatim (d. 327) na Tabaqat ya Muhammad b. Sa'd (d. 320).

The earliest remarks cited in the books of Rijal go back to a host of Successors, followed by those after them until the period of the six canonical traditionists, a period covering the first three centuries of Islam. A list of such names is provided by the author in his thesis, Criticism of Hadith among Muslims with reference to Sunan Ibn Majah, at the end of chapters IV, V and VI. Among the earliest available works in this field are Tarikh of Ibn Ma'in (d. 233), Tabaqat of Khalifa b. Khayyat (d. 240), Tarikh of al- Bukhari (d. 256), Kitab al-Jarh wa 'l-Ta'dil of Ibn Abi Hatim (d. 327) and Tabaqat of Muhammad b. Sa'd (d. 320).

Wanatuoni (wanazuoni wa hadith) kadhaa walifanya juhudi maalum za kukusanya taarifa kuhusu wapokezi wa makusanyo matano maarufu ya hadith, yaani ya al-Bukhari (d. 256), Muslim (d. 261), Abu Dawud (d. 275), al-Tirmidhi (d. 279) na al-Nasa'i (d. 303), wakitoa kwa undani maoni ya kuthibitisha na ya kukosoa. Kazi kubwa ya kwanza iliyojumuisha pia wapokezi wa Ibn Majah (d. 273) ni mkusanyiko wa juzuu kumi wa al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi (d. 600), unaojulikana kama Al-Kamal fi Asma' al-Rijal. Baadaye, Jamal al-Din Abu 'l-Hajjaj Yusuf b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Mizzi (d. 742) aliandaa toleo lililohaririwa na kufupishwa la kazi hii, lenye alama za mahali na nchi walikotoka wapokezi; alilipa jina Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma' al-Rijal, na kulitoa katika juzuu kumi na mbili. Zaidi ya hayo, mmoja wa wanafunzi mahiri wa al-Mizzi, Shams al-Din Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad b. Ahmad b. 'Uthman b. Qa'imaz al-Dhahabi (d. 748), alifupisha kazi ya mwalimu wake na kutoa vifupisho viwili: kimoja kirefu kiitwacho Tadhhib al-Tahdhib na kingine kifupi kiitwacho Al-Kashif fi Asma' Rijal al-Kutub al-Sittah.

A number of traditionists made efforts specifically for the gathering of information about the reporters of the five famous collections of hadith, those of al-Bukhari (d. 256), Muslim (d. 261), Abu Dawud (d. 275), al- Tirmidhi (d. 279) and al-Nasa'i (d. 303), giving authenticating and disparaging remarks in detail. The first major such work to include also the reporters of Ibn Majah (d. 273) is the ten-volume collection of al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi (d. 600), known as Al-Kamal fi Asma' al-Rijal. Later, Jamal al-Din Abu 'l-Hajjaj Yusuf b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Mizzi (d. 742) prepared an edited and abridged version of this work, punctuated by places and countries of origin of the reporters; he named it Tahdhib al- Kamal fi Asma' al-Rijal and produced it in twelve volumes. Further, one of al-Mizzi's gifted pupils, Shams al-Din Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad b. Ahmad b. 'Uthman b. Qa'imaz al- Dhahabi (d. 748), summarised his shaikh's work and produced two abridgements: a longer one called Tadhhib al-Tahdhib and a shorter one called Al-Kashif fi Asma' Rijal al-Kutub al- Sittah.

Juhudi kama hizo kwa kazi ya al-Mizzi zilifanywa na Ibn Hajar (d. 852), ambaye aliandaa toleo refu lakini fupi, ambamo karibu theluthi moja ya kazi ya asili iliachwa, lililopewa jina Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, katika juzuu kumi na mbili fupi zaidi. Baadaye, alilifupisha zaidi na kuwa kazi ndogo ya juzuu mbili iitwayo Taqrib al-Tahdhib.

A similar effort with the work of al-Mizzi was made by Ibn Hajar (d. 852), who prepared a lengthy but abridged version, with about one- third of the original omitted, entitled Tahdhib al-Tahdhib in twelve shorter volumes. Later, he abridged this further to a relatively-humble two- volume work called Taqrib al-Tahdhib.

Kazi ya al-Dhahabi haikuachwa bila kuhaririwa; al-Khazraji (Safi al-Din Ahmad b. 'Abdullah, d. baada ya 923) aliifupisha na pia akatoa nyongeza muhimu, na hivyo kuzaa kitabu chake cha Khulasah. Kazi kadhaa zinazofanana zinahusu ama wapokezi waaminifu pekee, mfano Kitab al-Thiqat cha al-'Ijli (d. 261) na Tadhkirah al-Huffaz cha al-Dhahabi, au mamlaka zilizokosolewa pekee, mfano Kitab al-Du'afa' wa al-Matrukin cha al-Nasa'i na Kitab al-Majruhin cha Muhammad b. Hibban al-Busti (d. 354). Kazi nyingine mbili katika fani hii zinazojumuisha idadi kubwa ya wapokezi, waliothibitishwa na waliokosolewa, ni Mizan al-I'tidal cha al-Dhahabi na Lisan al-Mizan cha Ibn Hajar.

The work of al-Dhahabi was not left unedited; al- Khazraji (Safi al-Din Ahmad b. 'Abdullah, d. after 923) summarised it and also made valuable additions, producing his Khulasah. A number of similar works deal with either trustworthy reporters only, e.g. Kitab al-Thiqat by al-'Ijli (d. 261) and Tadhkirah al-Huffaz by al-Dhahabi, or with disparaged authorities only, e.g. Kitab al-Du'afa' wa al-Matrukin by al- Nasa'i and Kitab al-Majruhin by Muhammad b. Hibban al-Busti (d. 354). Two more works in this field which include a large number of reporters, both authenticated and disparaged, are Mizan al-I'tidal of al- Dhahabi and Lisan al-Mizan of Ibn Hajar.