al-Ahwal li-Ibn Abi al-Dunya
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Al Yasir
Kitab al-Ahwal (The Terrors of the Resurrection) is an eschatological work composed by the Baghdadi traditionist Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 281 AH / 894 CE) that compiles prophetic traditions and early reports detailing the events and trials of the Day of Judgment .
Subject Matter and Method
The book gathers textual transmissions concerning the events of the afterlife, including the blowing of the Trumpet, the gathering of creation (al-hashr), the standing before God, the presentation of deeds, the reckoning (al-hisab), and the exegesis of Quranic verses related to eschatology .
Ibn Abi al-Dunya compiles these narrations along with their full chains of transmission (asānīd), documenting both elevated prophetic reports (marfūʿ) and non-prophetic statements (mawqūf) from the Companions and Successors, such as Abd Allah ibn Abbas and Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud . His transmission chains include teachers and scholars such as Yusuf ibn Musa al-Qattan, Ali ibn al-Ja'd al-Jawhari, Abu Abd al-Rahman Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Aban Mushkudanah, and Abd al-Wahid ibn Ziyad al-Basri .
Reception and Citations
The work served as an early reference source on the horrors of the Day of Resurrection and was cited by later traditionists, historians, and Quranic commentators. Ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH / 1373 CE) relied on it when listing textual sources for his Quranic exegesis (Tafsir Ibn Kathir) and cited multiple traditions from it in his chronicle al-Bidayah wa-al-nihayah . It was likewise cited by al-Suyuti in his exegesis al-Durr al-manthur and by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali .
Printed Editions
The text has been published in modern editions, including:
- An edition edited by Rida' Allah Muhammad Idris al-Mubarakfuri, published by al-Dar al-Salafiyyah in Bombay (1414 AH / 1993 CE) .
- An edition edited and annotated by Majdi Fathi al-Sayyid, published by Maktabat Al Yasir in Egypt (1413 AH / 1993 CE) .
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