Auditorium of Prof. Dr. Suwito, MA SPs UIN Jakarta, SPs NEWS - The Graduate School (SPs) of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held the 1655th Doctoral Promotion Exam in the Auditorium Room of Prof. Dr. Suwito, MA on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 with promovenda Rizkiyatul Imtyas.

Rizki is a student of the Doctoral program in Islamic Studies with a concentration in Hadith and Prophetic Tradition. His dissertation is entitled "Criticism of the Common Link Theory in Western Hadith Studies: A Methodological Analysis of Harald Motzki and Michael Cook".

This research departs from academic anxiety about  Joseph Schacht's very influential but controversial theory of common links. Schacht tends to be skeptical and considers hadith to be a product of 2nd century Hijri law. Rizki considers Schacht's theory too simplistic because it is only fixated on the structure of the sanad without looking at the depth of the editorial or the matan.

The main focus of this dissertation is to examine how two contemporary Western scholars, Harald Motzki and Michael Cook, deconstructed Schacht's thought. Rizki explores how both offer new methods to track the validity of hadith transmission in a more objective and scientific way.

In his methodology, Rizki uses a qualitative approach through character studies and comparative analysis. Not only theoretical, he also conducted an applicative test by applying the Motzki and Cook methods to hadiths that they had never studied before to test the consistency and validity of the analysis procedures of both.

One of the interesting findings in this study is the effectiveness of the Isnād--Matn Analysis method  developed by Harald Motzki. This method has been proven to be able to trace the historical continuity of the hadith more accurately and identify real and partial common links that have escaped Schacht's observation.

On the other hand, Rizki also skinned Michael Cook's contribution through his work The Spread of Isnād. Although Cook is very strong in mapping the socio-historical distribution patterns of sanad, this study finds that the method still has limitations in assessing the validity of matan without the support of strong philological analysis.

The results of the empirical test show that there is a sharp difference between the two figures. If Motzki's method is able to correct extreme skepticism and approach the point of truth of the transmission history, Cook's method is considered stronger on the reading of the sanad distribution but less effective in determining the authenticity of a specific history.

Rizki emphasized that hadith studies in the West are now shifting. The era of total Schachtian-style skepticism began to be abandoned, replaced by a more integrative approach. This new approach combines sanad-matan criticism with an analysis of the socio-historical context of early Islamic societies.

These findings reinforce previous studies, but with more advanced contributions. Rizkiyatul manages to map the position of Motzki and Cook in the "gray space" between the traditionalist and radical orientalist camps, providing a more proportionate and concrete assessment through new empirical data.

Rizkiyatul's success is expected to provide a new color to the development of hadith studies in Indonesia, especially in responding to critical thoughts from Western scholars in an elegant and methodological way.

Rizki is expected to continue to contribute to bridging the tradition of classical hadith study with modern methodologies. His dissertation is proof that Muslim intellectuals are able to conduct self-criticism while providing data-based corrections to hadith discourses in the global arena.

Rizkiyatul Imtyas successfully defended his dissertation under the guidance of Prof. Dr. M. Suparta, MA; Prof. Kusmana, MA, Ph.D; Dr. Ahmad Fudhaili, M.Ag, and tested in front of a board of examiners consisting of Prof. Dr. Zulkifli, MA; Prof. Dr. M. Suparta, MA; Prof. Kusmana, MA, Ph.D; Dr. Ahmad Fudhaili, M.Ag; Prof. Dr. Yusuf Rahman, MA; Prof. Dr. Media Zainul Bahri, MA; Prof. Dr. H. Moh. Isom, M.Ag.

After paying attention to the writing of the dissertation, the comments of the examiner team and the promovenda's answers, the examiner team determined that Rizkiyatul Imtyas graduated with the title of Very Satisfactory. Rizkiyatul Imtyas is the 1655th Doctor in the field of Islamic Studies, in the doctoral program of the Graduate School of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. (JA)