al-Arbaun fi al-Hath ala al-Jihad
- Author died
- 571 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Khulafa' lil-Kitab al-Islami
al-Arbaun fi al-Hath ala al-Jihad (The Forty [Hadiths] on Exhortation to Jihad) is a thematic collection of forty prophetic traditions compiled by the Damascene traditionist and historian Abu al-Qasim Ibn Asakir (499–571 AH / 1105–1176 CE) .
Background and Purpose
In his introduction, Ibn Asakir states that he assembled the collection in response to a request from the ruler, the "Just King" (Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zanki), who sought a compilation of forty hadiths dedicated specifically to the subject of jihad . The work was intended to incite Muslim fighters, fortify their resolve during combat, and encourage the confrontation of invading enemies . Ibn Asakir noted his aim to select narrations with clear texts and connected chains of transmission acceptable to hadith scholars and critics .
Structure and Content
The work consists of forty traditions arranged sequentially, with Ibn Asakir reporting each hadith through his own connected chains of transmission (asānīd) tracing back to the Prophet ﷺ through various teachers he met across different regions, such as Isfahan and Baghdad . The narrations address various virtues and rules concerning warfare, self-sacrifice, and steadfastness in battle, occasionally accompanied by brief glosses on difficult vocabulary .
The collection concludes with a tradition describing three classes of combatants slain in battle: the sincere believer who attains high rank near the Divine Throne, the believer whose sins are expiated through martyrdom, and the hypocrite fighting with corrupt intentions who is cast into Hellfire .
Publication
The work was edited by Abd Allah ibn Yusuf and published in a single volume by Dar al-Khulafa' lil-Kitab al-Islami in Kuwait in 1404 AH (1984 CE) .
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