لَقَد حَظِيَت السُّنَّةُ النَّبَوِيَّةُ المُبَارَكَةُ بِعِنَايَةِ المُسلِمِينَ عَبرَ القُرُونِ؛ فَهِيَ المَصدَرُ الثَّانِي لِلتَّشرِيعِ بَعدَ القُرآنِ الكَرِيمِ؛ لاستِقلالِهَا كَثِيرًا بِأَحكَامٍ جَدِيدَةٍ، إِضَافَةً لِكَونِهَا بَيَانًا لِكِتَابِ اللهِ تَعَالَى، مِن حَيثُ تَفصِيلُ مُجمَلِهِ، وَتَوضِيحُ مُبهَمِهِ، وَتَقيِيدُ مُطلَقِهِ، وَتَخصِيصُ عَامِّهِ.
وَلَقَد تَنَوَّعَت صُوَرُ الاهتِمَامِ بِالسُّنَّةِ النَّبَوِيَّةِ، وَتَعَدَّدَت جُهُودُ المُحَدِّثِينَ فِي هَذَا المَيدَانِ؛ تَحرِيرًا لَهَا، وَكِتَابَةً لِنُصُوصِهَا، وَتَدقِيقًا فِي نَقلِهَا، وَمَعرِفَةً بِرُوَاتِهَا، وَتَقعِيدًا لأُصُولِهَا، وَتَصنِيفًا لِمُؤَلَّفَاتِهَا، وَدَفعًا لِلشُّبُهَاتِ المُثَارَةِ حَولَهَا، إِلَى غَيرِ ذَلِكَ مِن الفُرُوعِ الحَدِيِثِيَّةِ الَّتِي صَارَت عُلُومًا قَائِمَةً بِذَاتِهَا.
وَتُعَدُّ عُلُومُ الحَدِيثِ النَّبَوِيِّ الشَّرِيفِ حِصنًا مَنِيعًا لِلسُّنَّةِ النَّبَوِيَّةِ، وَمَلاذًا لِلدَّارِسِينَ وَالبَاحِثِينَ؛ فَقَد حَوَت كُنُوزًا مِن المَعَارِفِ وَالخِبرَاتِ المُتَرَاكِمَةِ، فِي جَوَانِبَ كَثِيرَةٍ ذَاتِ صِلَةٍ بِقَبُولِ الرِّوَايَةِ أَو رَدِّهَا.
وَمِن أَبرَزِ مَا يَهتَمُّ بِهِ الدَّارِسُ لِعُلُومِ الحَدِيثِ – العِنَايَةُ بِمُصطَلَحَاتِ الأَئِمَّةِ، وَبِتَحرِيرِ مَفهُومِهَا.
وَقَد بَرَزَت عَلَى السَّاحَةِ العِلمِيَّةِ فِي العَصرِ الحَدِيثِ دِرَاسَاتٌ كَثِيرَةٌ تُعنَى بِهَذَا الجَانِبِ، أَفرَزَت لَنَا نَتَائِجَ فِي غَايَةِ الأَهَمِيَّةِ.
وَمِن المُصطَلَحَاتِ الحَدِيثِيَّةِ الَّتِي شَاعَ استِعمَالُهَا قَدِيمًا وَحَدِيثًا عَلَى السَّوَاءِ – قَولُهُم: (إِسنَادُهُ مُظلِمٌ)، وَنَحوُ ذَلِكَ مِن العِبَارَاتِ المُتَقَارِبَةِ الَّتِي تَشتَرِكُ فِي وَصفِ الإِسنَادِ بِالظُّلمَةِ، كَقَولِهِم: (سَنَدُهُ مُظلِمٌ)، (مُظلِمُ الإِسنَادِ)، (أَسَانِيدُهُ مُظلِمَةٌ)، (عَلَيهِ ظُلُمَاتٌ)، (الطَّرِيقُ إِلَيهِ ظُلُمَاتٌ)، (رُوِيَ مِن وَجهٍ آخَرَ مُظلِمٍ)،...إلخ.
 وَلَم أَقِف – بَعدَ البَحثِ وَالتَّتَبُّعِ بِقَدرِ الطَّاقَةِ – عَلَى دِرَاسَةٍ حَرَّرَت هَذَا المُصطَلَحَ تَحرِيرًا عِلمِيًّا، مِن خِلالِ استِقرَاءِ أَقوَالِ الأَئِمَّةِ فِي مُختَلَفِ فُرُوعِ وَمُصَنَّفَاتِ الحَدِيثِ وَعُلُومِهِ.
وَتَأتِي هَذِهِ الدِّرَاسَةُ لِتُحَاوِلَ تَحرِيرَ المَفهُومِ العِلمِيِّ لِهَذَا المُصطَلَحِ، فِي ضَوءِ مَا استَقَرَّ عَلَيهِ المُحَدِّثُونَ فِي استِعمَالِهِم لَهُ، مِن خِلالِ استِقرَاءٍ تَامٍّ – فِي حُدُودِ اطِّلاعِ البَاحِثِ –، وَجَمعِ مَا أَمكَنَ الوُقُوفُ عَلَيهِ مِن تَفسِيرَاتِ الأَئِمَّةِ لَهُ.
وَقَد خَرَجَت هَذِهِ الدِّرَاسَةُ فِي مُقَدِّمَةٍ، وَمَبحَثَينِ، وَخَاتِمَةٍ، وَجَاءَ عُنوَانُ المَبحَثَينِ عَلَى النَّحوِ الآتِي:
المَبحَثُ الأَوَّلُ: استِعمَالُ الأَئِمَّةِ لِمُصطَلَحِ الإِسنَادِ المُظلِمِ – (دِرَاسَةٌ استِقرَائِيَّةٌ).
المَبحَثُ الثَّانِي: تَفسِيرُ الأَئِمَّةِ لِمُصطَلَحِ الإِسنَادِ المُظلِمِ – (دِرَاسَةٌ استِقرَائِيَّةٌ تَحلِيلِيَّةٌ).
 
 
 
 The Blessed Sunnah of the prophet has received the attention of Muslims over the centuries; it is the second source of legislation after the Holy Quran; because it is very independent of new provisions، in addition to being a statement of the book of Allah Almighty، in terms of detailing its entirety، vague clarification، absolute restriction، and general allocation.
The forms of interest in the prophetic Sunnah have varied، and the efforts of modern scholars in this field have varied; editing it، writing its texts، scrutinizing its transmission، knowing its origins، restricting its origins، classifying its writings، pushing suspicions raised about it، and other Hadith branches that have become independent Sciences.
 
The sciences of the Hadith of the prophet are considered an impregnable fortress of the Sunnah of the prophet، and a haven for scholars and researchers; they have accumulated treasures of knowledge and experience، in many aspects related to the acceptance of the narration or its response.
 
One of the most prominent things that the modern scholar of science is interested in is taking care of the terms of imams ( leaders of Muslim scholars)، and describing their concept. Many studies dealing with this aspect have emerged on the scientific scene in modern times، which have therefore produced extremely important results. Among the traditional ( related to،Sunnah-Hadith )terms that have been commonly used both ancient and modern - they say: ( its chain of transmission is dark)، and other similar phrases that share the description of chain of transmission with darkness، such as: (chain of transmission is dark)، (darked chain of transmission)، (chain of transmission is black)، (Darkness falls on its chain of transmission)، (the way to it is dark)، (narrated from another dark way).Etc...
 
I did not stop - after searching and tracking as much as I could - on a study that described this term scientifically، by extrapolating the sayings of imams in various branches and classifications of Hadith and its Sciences.
 
This study is unique، in terms of describing the scientific concept of this term، in light of what the Hadith scholars have settled on in their use of it، through a complete extrapolation-in
The limits of the researcher's knowledge-and collecting what he could find from the imam interpretations.