Digital Islamic Humanities

Digital Islamic Humanities

Class Stratum Continuum: A Novel Method for Temporal Analysis of Ḥadīth Transmitters

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
hany zafarany 1
alireza shahbazi 2
1 A student of advanced (Dars-e-Kharij) studies and a graduate of Level 3 in Hadith Sciences, Khorasan Seminary (Hawza ‘Ilmiyya of Khorasan
2 A graduate of Level 4 in Hadith Sciences and a research specialist of the “Thiqat” Project
10.22034/disah.2025.2076148.1057
Abstract
Accurately determining the lifespans of ḥadīth transmitters, particularly their years of birth and death, is of high significance in historical and ḥadīth studies. Temporal analyses of transmitters are applied in examining the chains of transmission, analyzing ḥadīths within their historical contexts, and understanding the evolution of ḥadīth topics. This study aims to enhance the precision and efficiency of traditional methods by introducing a novel approach for estimating the lifespans of transmitters based on the concept of the *Class Stratum Continuum*. By analyzing network data of teacher–student relationships in ḥadīth sources and utilizing graph structures, this method enables more accurate estimations of transmitters’ birth and death years. Applying probabilistic models derived from reliable data, the mean error for death-year estimation is calculated as 8.8 years and for birth-year estimation as 13 years, indicating the high accuracy of the method. In addition to estimating birth and death years, this research also provides life-span visualizations of transmitters and calculates age differences across biographical strata. This study represents a novel step in applying quantitative and data-driven methods in ḥadīth studies and can serve as an effective tool for researchers in ʿIlm al-Rijāl and Islamic history.
Keywords
Shīʿī rijāl
ḥadīth history
machine inference
ḥadīth relational graphs
transmitter lifespan estimation
Class Stratum Continuum
 
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Digital Islamic Humanities
Volume 1, Issue 1
September 2025
Pages 241-270