Islamic Sciences Classification

Per-Science Processing Guide

1. علم الحديث — Hadith Sciences

Signal Terminology

حدثنا, أخبرنا, عن, سمعت, رواه, أسنده, إسناد, متن الحديث, سند, صحيح, حسن, ضعيف, موضوع, مرفوع, موقوف, مقطوع, مرسل, متواتر, آحاد, غريب

Structural Patterns

• Isnad-matn structure: Every hadith has a chain (سند/إسناد) followed by the text (متن). The chain is a sequence of عن فلان عن فلان or حدثنا فلان قال حدثنا فلان.
• Chapter organization: Most collections organize by fiqh chapter (كتاب الطهارة, كتاب الصلاة, etc.)
• Numbering: Hadith are numbered sequentially within the collection. Some editions add cross-references.
• Commentary integration: Many hadith collections have embedded or interleaved commentary by the compiler.

Processing Implications for KR

• Division tree: Chapter (كتاب) → Section (باب) → Individual hadith. The باب heading often contains a fiqh ruling the compiler derives.
• Excerpting: Each hadith is a natural teaching unit. The isnad and matn should stay together. DO NOT split a hadith across excerpts.
• Layer detection: Some compilations (e.g., جامع الترمذي) interleave compiler comments with hadith — these are separate layers.
• Attribution: The COMPILER (e.g., البخاري) is the author. The NARRATOR of each hadith is metadata, not authorship.
• Cross-references: Hadith frequently reference other hadith in the same or other collections.

Common Misclassification Traps

• أحاديث الأحكام (hadith organized by rulings) is hadith_collection, NOT fiqh
• تخريج (hadith source tracing) is hadith methodology, NOT the hadith text itself
• شرح حديث (explanation of a single hadith) is Genre.SHARH with science=hadith, NOT hadith_collection
• A fiqh book that quotes many hadith is still fiqh — the science is determined by the author's PURPOSE, not the content quoted

2. التفسير — Quranic Exegesis

Signal Terminology

قوله تعالى, ﴿...﴾, سورة, آية, نزلت في, أسباب النزول, قراءة, وجه, إعراب الآية, معنى, تأويل, ناسخ, منسوخ

Structural Patterns

• Verse-by-verse: Primary structure follows the Quran's order (surah then ayah)
• Multi-approach: May combine linguistic analysis (إعراب), legal extraction (استنباط), narrative (قصص), and theological reflection
• Quotation-heavy: Extensively quotes Quran, hadith, companion opinions, and prior mufassirun
• Layer integration: Some tafsir (e.g., حاشية الجمل على الجلالين) are multi-layer commentary ON commentary

Processing Implications for KR

• Division tree: Surah → Ayah group → Discussion. The Quran's own structure IS the division tree.
• Excerpting: Each ayah discussion is a natural teaching unit. However, some discussions span multiple ayahs.
• Quranic text preservation: Quranic verses embedded in tafsir MUST be preserved exactly. Apply quranic_text: true tag. NEVER normalize, trim, or modify.
• Attribution complexity: The mufassir cites earlier scholars extensively. Each cited opinion needs attribution to its original source, not to the tafsir author.
• Science scope: science_scope: ["tafsir"] even when the tafsir discusses fiqh rulings derived from verses — the science is tafsir, not fiqh.

Common Misclassification Traps

• أحكام القرآن (legal rulings from Quran) is tafsir with fiqh focus, NOT fiqh
• إعراب القرآن (Quran parsing) is tafsir with nahw focus, NOT nahw
• A book that frequently quotes Quran verses is NOT tafsir unless it is organized by and explains verses

3. الفقه — Jurisprudence

Signal Terminology

يجب, يحرم, يستحب, يكره, يباح, مسألة, فرع, تنبيه, فائدة, الراجح, والصحيح, وعندنا, وقال أبو حنيفة/الشافعي/مالك/أحمد, دليلنا, ولنا

Structural Patterns

• Chapter-section: كتاب (major topic) → باب (sub-topic) → مسألة (specific ruling)
• School-specific: Each madhab has its own internal organization and terminology
• Five-ruling framework: Every action classified as واجب/فرض, مستحب/سنة, مباح, مكروه, حرام
• Evidence citation: Rulings backed by Quran, hadith, ijma', qiyas, often in that order
• Conditions and exceptions: شروط (conditions), أركان (pillars), واجبات (obligations), مبطلات (nullifiers)

Processing Implications for KR

• Division tree: كتاب → باب → فصل → مسألة. Very deep nesting is common (5+ levels).
• Excerpting: A مسألة (specific ruling) is the natural teaching unit. Include the evidence with the ruling.
• School identification: Critical metadata. Detect from: author's known madhab, terminology patterns (Hanafi uses يجوز/لا يجوز, Shafi'i uses الأصح/المذهب, Hanbali uses الصحيح/المذهب, Maliki uses المشهور/المعتمد).
• Comparative detection: If a fiqh text systematically presents multiple madhab opinions with وقال, وعند, وذهب, it is fiqh_comparative not school-specific.
• Fatwa vs. systematic: Fatawa are organized by question-answer, not systematic chapter structure.

Common Misclassification Traps

• Fiqh rules (قواعد فقهية) are a separate sub-genre from applied fiqh
• أصول الفقه is a DIFFERENT science (legal theory vs. applied law)
• A comparative text from one author doesn't become fiqh_comparative just because it mentions other opinions occasionally — it must be SYSTEMATIC comparison

4. أصول الفقه — Legal Theory (Usul al-Fiqh)

Signal Terminology

الأمر يقتضي الوجوب, العام والخاص, المطلق والمقيد, النسخ, الإجماع, القياس, الاستصحاب, سد الذرائع, المصلحة المرسلة, الدلالة, المنطوق, المفهوم, حجة

Structural Patterns

• Principle-based: Organized by methodological principle, not by legal topic
• Abstract reasoning: Discusses HOW to derive rulings, not specific rulings themselves
• Definition-heavy: Extensive حد (definitions) and تقسيم (categorizations)
• Evidence hierarchies: Ordered discussion of evidence types (Quran, Sunnah, Ijma', Qiyas, secondary sources)

Processing Implications for KR

• Division tree: Major methodology section → Principle → Sub-principles → Examples
• Excerpting: Each principle with its examples forms a teaching unit. Abstract principles without examples are INCOMPLETE teaching units.
• Science scope: science_scope: ["usul_al_fiqh"] — distinct from fiqh
• Cross-science references: Usul texts cite nahw (for Arabic interpretation rules), hadith methodology (for sunnah evaluation), and logic (for reasoning structures)

Common Misclassification Traps

• Usul al-fiqh ≠ fiqh. Usul discusses methodology; fiqh applies it. A text about "how to determine that prayer is obligatory" is usul; "prayer is obligatory" is fiqh.
• مقاصد الشريعة (higher objectives of Islamic law) is usul_al_fiqh, not a separate science

5. العقيدة / التوحيد — Creed and Theology

Signal Terminology

التوحيد, الإيمان, أركان الإيمان, صفات الله, القدر, الشفاعة, الكفر, الإرجاء, المعتزلة, الأشاعرة, أهل السنة والجماعة, منهج, عقيدة, اعتقاد

Structural Patterns

• Creedal statement: Many aqidah texts start with a concise creed (e.g., العقيدة الطحاوية) then explain each point
• Polemical: Often structured as refutation of opposing views (رد على)
• Categorical: Organized by creedal topics: توحيد الربوبية, توحيد الألوهية, الأسماء والصفات, اليوم الآخر, القدر
• Sect-aware: Positions are often framed relative to theological schools (أهل السنة vs المعتزلة vs الأشاعرة)

Processing Implications for KR

• Division tree: Creedal topic → Sub-topic → Position → Evidence → Counter-argument
• Excerpting: Each creedal position with its evidence is a teaching unit
• Sensitivity: Theological positions vary between schools. KR must RECORD the position, NOT evaluate it. Attribution of theological positions to specific scholars is HIGH-RISK for T-2.
• Layer detection: Many aqidah works are commentaries on creedal mutun (e.g., شرح العقيدة الواسطية)

Common Misclassification Traps

• A book about names and attributes of God is aqidah, not tafsir, even if it cites many Quran verses
• كتاب الإيمان chapters within hadith collections are hadith, not aqidah
• رسالة in aqidah is still aqidah, not generic risalah

6. النحو — Arabic Syntax

Signal Terminology

الفاعل, المفعول به, المبتدأ, الخبر, الحال, التمييز, الإعراب, مرفوع, منصوب, مجرور, مبني, معرب, الجملة الاسمية, الجملة الفعلية, العامل, المعمول

Structural Patterns

• Grammar topic organization: Parts of speech → case theory → sentence types → dependent clauses
• Example-heavy: Every rule illustrated with Quran verses, hadith, poetry (شواهد)
• Multi-layer tradition: Extremely deep commentary chains (matn → sharh → hashiyah → ta'liqat, up to 5+ layers)

Processing Implications for KR

• Division tree: Grammar section → Rule → Sub-rules → Examples/Exceptions
• Excerpting: Each grammar rule with its examples forms a teaching unit. Examples (شواهد) MUST stay with their rules.
• Poetry preservation: شواهد نحوية (grammatical evidence verses) must preserve meter and diacritics exactly
• Layer separation: Nahw commentary traditions are the most deeply layered in all Islamic sciences. Ibn Aqil's sharh on the Alfiyyah, then al-Sabban's hashiyah on al-Ashmuni's sharh — each layer must be correctly attributed.

7. الصرف — Arabic Morphology

Signal Terminology

الميزان الصرفي, وزن, فعل/يفعل/افعل, الأبواب, المجرد, المزيد, التصريف, الإبدال, الإعلال, الإدغام, اسم الفاعل, اسم المفعول, المصدر

Structural Patterns

• Pattern-based: Organized by verb patterns (أوزان) and derivation rules
• Tabular: Extensive conjugation tables and pattern charts
• Technical: Highly technical Arabic terminology with precise definitions

Processing Implications for KR

• Division tree: Verb type → Pattern → Derivation rules → Irregular forms
• Tables: Sarf texts contain conjugation tables that must be preserved structurally, not flattened into prose
• Diacritics: CRITICAL in sarf. The difference between فَعَلَ and فُعِلَ is the entire meaning. Diacritic loss is catastrophic.
• Science scope: Often combined with nahw in a single curriculum but distinct — sarf = word-internal, nahw = word-external

8. البلاغة — Rhetoric

Signal Terminology

المعاني, البيان, البديع, التشبيه, الاستعارة, المجاز, الكناية, الحقيقة, الفصاحة, البلاغة, الإسناد, الخبر والإنشاء

Structural Patterns

• Three-branch division: علم المعاني (meaning), علم البيان (expression), علم البديع (embellishment)
• Literary examples: Extensive quotation of Quran, hadith, and poetry as examples of rhetorical devices
• Analytical: Each device is defined, categorized, then illustrated

Processing Implications for KR

• Division tree: Branch → Device → Sub-types → Examples
• Excerpting: Each rhetorical device with examples is a teaching unit
• Literary sensitivity: The examples ARE the content — they must preserve all stylistic features
• Science scope: science_scope: ["balagha"] — not adab (literature), not nahw (syntax)

Cross-Science Processing Rules

Rule 1: Science Determines Processing Strategy

The identified science of a text determines the division tree structure, excerpting boundaries, and layer separation approach. Do NOT apply fiqh processing patterns to a hadith collection or vice versa.

Rule 2: Multi-Science Texts

Some texts span multiple sciences. Examples:

• أحكام القرآن → primary: tafsir, secondary: fiqh
• فتح الباري → primary: hadith (sharh of Bukhari), secondary: fiqh, aqidah, nahw
• زاد المعاد → primary: sirah, secondary: fiqh (extensive legal discussions) Assign science_scope as a list, ordered by dominance. The PRIMARY science determines processing strategy.

Rule 3: Commentary Inherits Base Text Science

A sharh on a nahw matn is science=nahw, not a separate genre. The science follows the BASE TEXT, not the commentary style. Exception: if the sharh significantly expands into another science (e.g., a hashiyah on a nahw text that primarily discusses usul), flag for human review.

Rule 4: Terminology Meaning Shifts Between Sciences

The same word means different things in different sciences:

• حكم: In fiqh = legal ruling. In nahw = grammatical governance. In aqidah = divine decree.
• عامل: In nahw = grammatical governor. In fiqh = general principle. In logic = cause.
• أصل: In usul = foundational source. In fiqh = default ruling. In nahw = underlying form.
• فرع: In fiqh = derived ruling. In usul = secondary source. In nahw = derived form.
• صحيح: In hadith = authenticated (grade). In fiqh = the preponderant view. In nahw = grammatically correct. Always interpret terminology IN THE CONTEXT of the text's science, not generically.

Rule 5: Historical Period Affects Classification

• Pre-5th century AH: Sciences less differentiated. A single work may freely mix nahw, tafsir, and fiqh.
• 5th-8th century AH: Golden age of specialization. Clear genre boundaries. This period produced the canonical texts.
• Post-8th century AH: Commentary tradition dominates. Most works are sharh/hashiyah on earlier texts.
• Modern (post-1300 AH): Academic format, sometimes with Western organizational influence. May not follow traditional chapter structure.

Processing should adapt to the historical period of the text.