al-Arbaeen min al-Ahadith al-Nabawiya li-Ibn al-Rassam
- Author died
- 844 AH
- Editions
- al-Arbaeen min al-Ahadith al-Nabawiya li-Ibn al-Rassam
al-Arba‘in min al-Ahadith al-Nabawiyya (The Forty Prophetic Hadiths), fully titled al-Arba‘in min al-Ahadith al-Nabawiyya ‘an Arba‘in min Mashayikh al-Islam Marwiyya (The Forty Prophetic Hadiths Transmitted from Forty Masters of Islam), is a hadith compilation by the Hanbali jurist, traditionist, and judge Ibn al-Rassam (763–844 AH / 1362–1441 CE; also reported d. 842 AH / 1438 CE) .
Background and Purpose
The compiler, Ahmad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ahmad (or Ahmad ibn Abi Bakr ibn ‘Ali ibn Isma‘il) al-Hamawi al-Qadiri, undertook journeys in his youth to seek prophetic traditions from leading scholars across Egypt and the Levant (al-Sham) . In the introduction, he explains that he selected forty prominent scholars of narration and comprehension, recording one hadith from each teacher . His stated goal was to attain spiritual guidance and to provide an accessible reference work (‘umda) for students of hadith, directing them toward transmission through senior masters whose narrations encompassed the primary classical works of Islamic literature .
Structure and Transmission
The collection follows the forty-hadith genre (arba‘iniyyat), featuring forty individual hadiths recorded with their complete chains of transmission (isnad) . For each entry, the author documents the circumstances of his audition (sama‘) and reading (qira'a), noting the specific teachers, dates, and locations—such as reading sessions held in Hama during the 780s AH . Among the teachers through whom he transmits are local scholars, judges, and his own father, Abu Bakr ibn Ahmad, transmitting through established continuous chains leading to early authorities and compilations such as the Sahih of al-Bukhari and the narrations of al-Shafi'i .
Manuscripts
Manuscripts of the collection are preserved in several historical repositories:
- A manuscript copy in the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus, preserved within the ‘Umariyya collections (Majmu‘ 59, folios 185–299 / item 16) .
- A manuscript copy preserved at the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library in Patna (Bankipore), India (MS 381), which contains an authorization (ijaza) written in the author's own hand .
Answer updated