<![CDATA[Research on ḥadīth criticism has so far concentrated mainly on the authentication of the chain of transmission (isnād), while criticism of the text itself (matn) has not received proportionate scholarly attention. Yet the practice of evaluating the substance of ḥadīth can be traced back to the generation of the Companions through istidrāk al-ṣaḥābī, most notably as practiced by Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah. This study aims to reconstruct the theory of istidrāk al-ṣaḥābī as an epistemological model of ḥadīth matn criticism based on an analysis of al-Zarkashī’s al-Ijābah li-Īrād Mā Istadrakathu ʿĀʾishah ʿalā al-Ṣaḥābah. The study employs a qualitative approach in the form of library research and applies Theory-Building Research as its data-analysis technique. The primary data the text of al-Ijābah were analyzed through the stages of identifying cases of istidrāk, abstracting concepts, classifying critical instruments, and reconstructing theory. The findings show that istidrāk al-ṣaḥābī is a practice of matn criticism possessing a systematic methodological structure. Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah drew on a range of epistemic sources the Qur’an, the Sunnah, historical fact, empirical experience, linguistic analysis, and rational consideration as the basis for evaluating the substance of ḥadīth. On the basis of these findings, the study reconstructs the theory of istidrāk al-ṣaḥābī into three principal components: epistemic sources, critical instruments, and the mechanism of matn validation. This reconstruction demonstrates that matn criticism has been an integral part of ḥadīth methodology since the period of the Companions and broadens the understanding of the epistemology of classical ḥadīth criticism. The study offers a new conceptual model that enriches the development of theory in ḥadīth matn criticism and contributes to contemporary studies of ḥadīth epistemology.]]>
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