The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 16
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 16 that a particular writer is not prudent in his work; for all people of a certain class cannot be of the same level. In any case, Early Muslims kept the principles of Riwāyat and Dirāyat in view, but more discreet writers complied with these two principles meticulously. It is not necessary to provide examples of Riwāyat because the quality of Islāmic research from this aspect is acknowledged by friend and foe alike. On the contrary, various western scholars including Sir William Muir have expressed the notion that Muslims disregard Dirāyat and have tested the authenticity of narrations merely on the principle of Riwāyat. 1 For this reason, clear examples which particularly exhibit the use of Dirāyat shall be presented below. Hence, readers shall gain the opportunity to deduce how incorrect and baseless this allegation truly is. Firstly, the Holy Qur’ān itself states that it is not sufficient to base an incident on Riwāyat alone; rather every aspect of the incident should be fully investigated prior to accepting it as correct. Hence, it states: “If a person brings you any news, ascertain the character of the one who brings it. If then, this narrator is unworthy of reliance, analyse every aspect before drawing a conclusion. ” 2 Apparently it seems that this verse alludes to the authenticity of Riwāyat alone. However, with little reflection, it no longer remains hidden that this verse takes both Riwāyat and Dirāyat into account. Therefore, the word ٌ فَاسِق is an allusion towards Riwāyat. In other words, one must inquire as to who has brought the news. On the other hand the word ٓ فَتَبَیَّنُوْا is an allusion towards Dirāyat , which essentially means that the news presented must also be examined closely. At another place the Holy Qur’ān states:. . . . . . . . . . 1 Life of ‘Mahomet’, Sir William Muir, p. xlii, Reprint of the 1894 Ed. , Published by Voice of India New Delhi 2 Al-Ḥujurāt (49:7)