A Study of Hadith Narrator Figures: Primary Narrating Companions, Comparative Analysis, and the Polemic over Abu Hurairah's Narrations

Abstract

This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the profiles, characteristics, and narration methodologies of four principal hadith-narrating Companions: Abu Hurairah, Aisyah bint Abu Bakr, Abdullah ibn Abbas, and Abdullah ibn Umar. In addition, this paper critically evaluates the polemic surrounding the large number of narrations attributed to Abu Hurairah, which has been the target of criticism from contemporary scholars and orientalists. The study employs a qualitative library-research method combining three approaches: critical biography (al-tarjamah al-naqdiyyah), comparative analysis, and argument evaluation (naqd al-hujaj). The findings identify four ideal types of narration methodology: intensive-holistic (Abu Hurairah), selective-critical (Aisyah), interpretive-analytical (Ibn Abbas), and conservative-verificative (Ibn Umar). Regarding the Abu Hurairah polemic, the critics' arguments are found to contain methodological weaknesses in the form of overgeneralization and double standards, while the large volume of Abu Hurairah's narrations has adequate historical explanations rooted in his dedication. The study concludes that the difference in the quantity of narrations among the four figures reflects differences in historical circumstances and methodological choices rather than differences in integrity or faith.