محمد جاودان

The hadiths regarding the event of Return ( Rajʻat ) have only gained a significant number in later hadith collections, which have even dedicated a chapter to them. The present study aims to identify, using a descriptive-analytical method, some factors that have led to the disparity in the number of hadiths on Rajʻat between earlier and later centuries by comparing earlier and later hadith sources. The results include: Hadith errors such as discrepancies in the transmission of a hadith from earlier to later sources, and the misjudgment of considering multiple chains that lead to a single direct narrator; adherence to the literal meanings of words at the expense of common understanding; fallacies such as repeated counting of hadiths, fragmenting a single hadith and presenting it as multiple ones, counting non-authentic reports, mixing topics, deviating from the subject, and circular reasoning. The reliance on the latter abundance of hadiths presents a challenge to Sunni scholars, who has been created by the Shia theologians and hadith scholars themselves. The benefit of this study lies in recognizing this challenge, ultimately leading to a more robust defense of the belief in Rajʻat .