<![CDATA[Studies on ‘ilal al-hadith have often adopted a normative and deterministic perspective, treating the presence of an ‘illah as an automatic factor that invalidates hadith authenticity. However, classical hadith criticism demonstrates a more nuanced evaluative practice in dealing with ‘illah and its implications. This article aims to examine the concept of the relativity of ‘ilal al-hadith within the classical tradition of hadith criticism and to analyze the extent to which ‘illah influences the determination of hadith quality. This study employs a qualitative library-based research method by examining classical and contemporary literature in ‘ulūm al-hadith, particularly works addressing ‘ilal al-hadith and hadith criticism methodology. A hadithological approach is applied through conceptual and comparative analysis of major hadith scholars’ perspectives. The findings reveal that ‘ilal al-hadith does not function as a deterministic variable but operates within a graded and contextual evaluative framework. The impact of ‘illah on hadith quality depends on the type of defect, its underlying causes, the degree of weakness it produces, and the presence of external indicators (qarā’in) such as mutāba‘āt, shawāhid, and talaqqī al-‘ulamā’ bi al-qabūl. This article contributes theoretically by formulating ‘ilal al-hadith as a methodological variable with relative implications in hadith evaluation, while clarifying the distinction between formal hadith authenticity and practical acceptance. It concludes that the relativity of ‘ilal al-hadith does not imply epistemic relativism regarding hadith truth, but rather reflects methodological relativity in assessing the implications of ‘illah for hadith classification and acceptance.]]>
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