al-Bayan wa al-Tarif fi Asbab Wurud al-Hadith al-Sharif
- Author died
- 1120 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kitāb al-'Arabī
al-Bayan wa al-Tarif fi Asbab Wurud al-Hadith al-Sharif (Clarification and Definition Regarding the Occasions for the Pronouncement of Noble Hadith) is a reference work on the contextual occasions and background circumstances of prophetic traditions (asbab wurud al-hadith) by the Damascene Hanafi scholar Ibn Hamza al-Husayni (1054–1120 AH / 1644–1708 CE) . Completed in 1119 AH (1707–1708 CE), it is regarded as the most comprehensive compilation dedicated to this field of hadith study .
Background and Purpose
Scholarly compositions devoted specifically to asbab wurud al-hadith were historically few in number . An early work by Abu Hafs Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Ukbari (d. 387 AH) did not survive, while al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH) authored al-Luma fi Asbab Wurud al-Hadith, containing ninety-eight traditions arranged according to juridical topics . In the introduction to al-Bayan wa al-Tarif, Ibn Hamza noted that al-Suyuti's treatise was valuable but incomplete, prompting him to compile a broader and more comprehensive dictionary of hadith occasions .
Structure and Method
Ibn Hamza organized the text alphabetically according to the opening words of each hadith text (matn), omitting the initial Companion chain in the main entry headers to facilitate quick lookup . For each tradition, his method consists of citing the concise hadith text and then documenting its source references (makhraj) alongside the extended narrative detailing the occasion that prompted its utterance .
In defining the scope of occasions, Ibn Hamza included both the immediate historical circumstances in which the Prophet ﷺ originally delivered a statement during the prophetic era, as well as instances where a Companion later recounted or cited the tradition in response to subsequent events . Where applicable, he also noted instances where multiple background occasions were transmitted for a single hadith .
Reception and Publication
The work is widely referenced as an essential and expansive resource for understanding the situational context and intended meanings of prophetic traditions .
The text has been published in multiple editions:
- Printed in Aleppo in 1329 AH (1911 CE / 1929–1930 CE) in two large volumes (also issued in a single-volume binding) .
- Printed in Cairo in 1329 AH, and again between 1973 and 1975 in two- and three-volume formats .
- Issued in Beirut by Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi in 1401 AH (1981 CE) in three volumes, featuring a comprehensive hadith index compiled by Sayf al-Din al-Katib .
- Edited by Sayyid Bayumi and published by Dar Ibn Taymiyyah and Dar al-Lulu'ah .
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