Ahadith al-Muwatta wa Dhikr Ittifaq al-Ruwat an Malik wa Ikhtilafihim
- Author died
- 385 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Ahl al-Ḥadīth
Ahadith al-Muwatta wa Dhikr Ittifaq al-Ruwat an Malik wa Ikhtilafihim (Hadiths of al-Muwatta and Mention of the Agreement and Disagreement of Transmitters from Malik) is a specialized hadith work by the Baghdadi traditionist al-Daraqutni (306–385 AH / 918–995 CE) that examines the textual and isnad discrepancies among the various transmissions of Malik ibn Anas’s al-Muwatta . The book is also referred to as Ikhtilaf al-Muwatta'at (Discrepancies of the Muwatta Recensions) or cited by its expanded title, Ahadith al-Muwatta wa Ittifaq al-Ruwat an Malik wa Ikhtilafihim fihi wa Ziyadatuhum wa Nuqsanuhum .
Scope and Method
Al-Daraqutni opens the work with a brief biographical overview of Malik ibn Anas (93–179 AH), including his lineage back to Himyar, his maternal descent, his paternal uncles, his death in Medina during the caliphate of Harun al-Rashid at age 86, and key scholars who transmitted from him, both predecessors and contemporaries .
The core of the book systematically collates the narrations that Malik transmitted with connected chains (musnad) in the Muwatta, excluding his non-Muwatta hadiths . The material is organized according to Malik’s direct authorities—beginning with his narrations from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri—and details how transmitters from Malik agreed or diverged in their respective recensions, highlighting solitary transmissions (infirad), textual variations, additions, and omissions .
Transmission and Reception
The book reached later scholars primarily through the transmission (riwaya) of Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Jawhari (d. 454 AH) from al-Daraqutni . It served as a primary reference for comparative analysis of the recensions of the Muwatta and was cited by subsequent scholars of the Maliki tradition and hadith critics, including al-Qadi Iyad, Ibn Abd al-Barr in al-Tamhid, and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in Ithaf al-Mahara .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscripts of the treatise are preserved in collections such as the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (no. 525 Hadith) and the Islamic University of Madinah (no. 1579 M) .
Printed editions of the text include:
- An early edition prepared by Izzat al-Attar al-Husayni, published in Cairo by Maktab Nashr al-Thaqafa al-Islamiyya (1365 AH) .
- An edition edited by Adil ibn Abd al-Shakur al-Zuraqi, published by Dar Tuwayq in Riyadh (1424 AH / 2003 CE) .
- An edition edited by Hisham ibn Ali al-Sa'idani, published by Maktabat Ahl al-Hadith in Sharjah .
Answer updated