The Preservation and Authenticity of Ḥadīth As a Source of Sīrah: A Critique of Robert Spencer’S Views on Historicity of Muḥammad

The account of the deeds and sayings of the prophet (ﷺ) has been carefully preserved since the dawn of Islam. This is what actually led Ernest Renan to believe that “[Islam] was born in the full light of history”, and that the life of Muḥammad (ﷺ) can be known as explicitly as that of any sixteenth century reformer. Notwithstanding, some contemporary writers doubt the historicity of Muḥammad (ﷺ) ; Robert Spencer is one of them. He is an American author. He is quite famous for his criticism of Islam and the prophet of Islam. He has published twelve books so far. He is a member of Melkite Greek Catholic Church. He contends that Muḥammad’s (ﷺ) historical value is in no way greater and more reliable than mythological figures or characters such as Robin Hood and Macbeth. He maintains that the very idea of subjecting the traditionally accepted account of the life of Muḥammad (ﷺ) and the origins of Islam will be regarded by many Muslims as an affront. To substantiate his argument, he rigorously criticizes the historical value of ḥadīth. He argues that aḥādīth were fabricated and compiled in the third century. He maintains that aḥādīth were concocted much later to be used as weapons in political strife and religious controversies. This paper is an academic attempt to prove that aḥādīth were painstakingly preserved and for that purpose various techniques were employed. Besides, it also sheds light on the reasons for the fabrication of aḥādīth and the ways and means utilized for sifting the genuine aḥādīth from forgeries. Findings of this article suggest that the minute details of the life of Muḥammad (ﷺ) have been scrupulously preserved; hence aḥādīth can be used as a reliable source of Sīrah.

Prevalence of Abnormal Aminoglycoside Trough Levels in Children With Clinically Suspected Gram Negative Infections at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi

Background: Aminoglycosides are commonly used in the treatment of severe gram-negative infections. Their use is associated with substantial risk of toxicity and hence need to monitor therapeutic drug levels. The prevalence of abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels in hospitalized children in our local setting has not been determined thus putting into question the cost benefits of providing therapeutic drug monitoring services in our resource poor settings. Objective: To determine the prevalence of abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels in children below the age of 12 years with clinically suspected gram negative infections at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. The secondary objective was to determine if glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation using Schwartz formula correlates with drug trough levels in children on aminoglycoside therapy. Methods: Children aged 1 day up to 12 years started on aminoglycoside therapy with either gentamicin or amikacin were identified in this hospital based cross-sectional survey that was undertaken at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi over a period of six months. Aminoglycoside drug trough levels and serum creatinine measurements were done in 81 patients at 24hours after initiation of aminoglycoside therapy. GFR was calculated using Schwartz formula for all the serum creatinine values obtained. Data analysis: Data accrued were analysed using Stata Data Analysis and Statistical software. The prevalence of abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels was calculated. The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated between the drug trough levels and estimated GFR. The prevalence, sensitivity, specificity, positive and vi negative predictive values as well as likelihood ratios, and hence accuracy of estimated GFR in predicting for abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels was also calculated. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was also determined. Results: A total of eighty one participants were recruited into this study with a median age of three days, 48.2% of whom were males and 51.8% female. The prevalence of abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels in children below the age of 12 years with clinically suspected gram negative infections admitted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi was 4.9% (95% CI 1.4% to 12.2%). There were no reported adverse outcomes in any of the children with abnormal drug trough levels upon follow-up. The strength of the association between aminoglycoside trough levels and glomerular filtration rate was found to be weak with Pearson correlation co-efficient of -0.342. The sensitivity and specificity of estimated GFR in predicting for abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels was 25.0% and 98.7% respectively. The