By Zarul Effendi Razali
TASHKENT, July 8 (Bernama) -- The enduring scholarly legacy of Imam al-Bukhari and Imam al-Tirmidhi offers the Muslim world a proven framework to combat misinformation, strengthen ethical knowledge and rebuild trust in an era of digital disinformation, an Islamic scholar said.
Speaking during a plenary session at the First International Islamic Civilisation Forum, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) Director-General Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Mohamed Azam Mohamed Adil said the science of hadith was far more than a discipline of preserving prophetic traditions.
He said the methodologies developed by the two renowned scholars from present-day Uzbekistan established a rigorous intellectual system centred on verification, source credibility, legal reasoning and moral responsibility, making them highly relevant to contemporary challenges posed by false information and religious distortion.
"The spirit of hadith scholarship is urgently needed: verify before sharing, examine before believing, understand before judging and speak with adab before making pronouncements," he said at the session titled Intellectual Potential in Islamic Civilisation: Historical Models and Contemporary Interpretations.
Mohamed Azam said Imam al-Bukhari's contribution extended beyond compiling authentic hadith, as his work cultivated an intellectual culture where authority was derived from truth, trustworthiness and evidence rather than fame, political influence or emotion.
He said Imam al-Tirmidhi complemented that tradition by integrating hadith transmission with scholarly evaluation and juristic discussion, creating a balanced approach that connected prophetic teachings with practical legal and social application.
According to Mohamed Azam, the disciplines of riwayah and dirayah remain valuable models for promoting information ethics, critical thinking and responsible communication in today's increasingly complex media landscape.
In hadith studies, riwayah refers to the science concerned with collecting, preserving, and transmitting hadith exactly as they were narrated while dirayah is the science that evaluates and interprets hadith by examining their authenticity, meaning, and application.
He also drew lessons from the Ottoman Empire's delayed adoption of printing technology, saying civilisations possessing knowledge but failing to master the means of disseminating it risk allowing competing narratives to dominate public discourse.
He said the Muslim world should therefore invest in modern knowledge dissemination platforms while ensuring media practices remain guided by the principles of authenticity, accuracy and ethical responsibility embedded in the hadith tradition.
Mohamed Azam proposed strengthening Uzbekistan as a global centre for hadith and Islamic civilisation studies through greater international scholarly collaboration, systematic manuscript digitisation and renewed engagement with younger generations.
He also called for the establishment of a global network of researchers in “riwayah” and “dirayah”, while encouraging Islamic scholarship to contribute more actively to international discussions on misinformation, media ethics and institutional trust.
The forum session highlighted the civilisational contributions of Imam al-Bukhari of Bukhara and Imam al-Tirmidhi of Termez, arguing that their intellectual legacy continues to offer practical guidance for preserving truth, promoting responsible scholarship and strengthening ethical communication in the modern world.
-- BERNAMA
