Exploring Genre in Ḥadīth Commentary: New Insights from Prof. Dr. Nurullah Ardıç

Prof. Dr. Nurullah Ardıç and Doç. Dr. Mustafa Macit Karagözoğlu’s co-authored article, Genre Analysis and Religious Texts: A Methodological Model of Ḥadīth Commentary, has been published in the Journal of Islamic Studies. The study proposes a new methodological model that applies genre analysis techniques to the study of ḥadīth commentary texts, an important yet underexplored aspect of the Islamic intellectual tradition.

The model is developed through an analysis of 23 Sunni ḥadīth commentaries written between the tenth century and the present. Inspired by John Swales’s genre analysis approach, the model consists of four analytical steps: identifying the main generic features of ḥadīth commentary texts, examining their internal structures as constructed by commentators, exploring the characteristics of their expository and hortatory discourses, and applying a move analysis of rhetorical structures twice, once to the introduction, and once to the body of the text.

This model offers a systematic framework for analyzing the commonalities and differences within the tradition of ḥadīth commentary, helping to clarify how these texts are structured and how they function within broader intellectual and religious contexts. The study’s findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the genre’s development over time and across the Muslim world, providing valuable tools for researchers in Islamic studies, textual analysis, and the study of religious discourse.

The article highlights the potential of interdisciplinary methods to enrich the study of classical Islamic texts and suggests new pathways for exploring the transmission, interpretation, and communication of religious knowledge across generations.