Why did the hadith scholars not establish a methodology specific to them for understanding hadiths, and instead use the methodology of the jurists?

The questioner : My teacher, it is said in Turkey that the hadith scholars did not establish a specific methodology for understanding hadiths, so they used the methodology of the jurists to understand hadiths. Is this opinion correct or not?

The Shaykh : Repeat it for me. Repeat it for me.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : What do they say?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Repeat.

The questioner : Yes, the hadith scholars did not establish a specific methodology for understanding hadiths.

The Shaykh: All right.

The questioner : And they used a specific methodology that the jurists tested and the jurists established.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Is this opinion correct or not, my teacher?

The Shaykh : There is no objection to it, meaning in the science of the principles of hadith.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : What the jurists know.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : In the science of the principles of jurisprudence.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : The hadith scholars may not know it.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And this is a specialization, and each of them benefits from the other. Meaning, the science of the principles of jurisprudence is what actually helps in understanding hadiths. Ah, but when did this happen? This was after foreignness seeped into the Muslims.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Due to the large number of non-Arab Muslims.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Meaning, as for the Companions, they did not have a need to establish the science of hadith terminology and the science of jurisprudence terminology.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : But this is also a reality, and there is no fault in that for the scholars of hadith, just as there are many, many sciences: the science of exegesis, the science of history, the science of language, and so on. If we find a man specialized in the science of language, we do not blame him, we do not blame him, we do not fault him for not knowing the science of jurisprudence.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Not knowing the science of hadith.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : But we blame him and hold him accountable if he relies on his knowledge of the Arabic language and starts flailing in the dark night in authenticating and weakening hadiths, and in understanding verses and hadiths. Here he is criticized. But if he specializes in his field, there is no harm in that. And we believe the following truth: the sciences that the jurists say are collective obligations, an individual from the Muslim community cannot perform them. Ah, so this one performs this duty and this one performs that duty, then they cooperate and become one block. Ah, so if the scholars of hadith did not establish guidelines and rules for the jurisprudence of hadith and the understanding of hadith, that is because they were not occupied with it, given their specialization in hadith. That is sufficient for them as a service to Islam and the Muslims. And on the other side, the jurists of principles, and then the deducers who derive specific issues from the rules and principles. That is it.