Abstract
This article proposes a methodological model of genre analysis to apply to Muslim exegesis on the compilations of Prophetic traditions, known as h: adı¯th commentary. Inspired by John Swales’s approach to genre analysis, and drawing upon 23 Sunni h: adı¯th commentary texts from the tenth century to the present, the model consists of a number of analytical strategies and research questions, as well as specific generic analyses, in four steps: identifying the main generic features of these commentary texts, including the characteristics of their expository and hortatory discourses; examining their internal structures as constructed by commentators; and applying the move analysis of rhetorical structures twice—to both their introduction and the body of the text. The proposed model offers a way to make h: adı¯th commentary texts more accessible and manageable, and helps explore the structural commonalities and differences within the commentary tradition across generations and throughout the Muslim world.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 163-218 |
| Number of pages | 56 |
| Journal | Journal of Islamic Studies |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) (2025).
Keywords
- Genre analysis
- Islam
- commentary
- h adı ¯th
- move analysis
- rhetorical structure