al-Duafa wa al-Matrukun li Ibn al-Jawzi

al-Du‘afa’ wa al-Matrukun (The Weak and Abandoned Hadith Narrators) is a biographical dictionary of discredited hadith transmitters by the Hanbali scholar Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH / 1201 CE) Inayat al-Ulama bil-Isnad…+1.

Purpose and Scope

Ibn al-Jawzi compiled al-Du‘afa’ wa al-Matrukun as a specialized reference work on weak narrators and hadith fabricators, complementing his broader project on suspect narrations al-Duafa wa al-Matrukun l…. He noted that alongside this work, he compiled a large collection of frail traditions titled al-‘Ilal al-Mutanahiyah fi al-Ahadith al-Wahiyah and a separate book devoted to fabricated hadiths titled Kitab al-Mawdu‘at min al-Ahadith al-Marfu‘at al-Duafa wa al-Matrukun l…. In the introduction, he emphasized the duty of identifying compromised narrators in order to safeguard the prophetic Sunnah from corruption and enable scholars to distinguish sound narrations from flawed ones al-Duafa wa al-Matrukun l….

Method and Structure

The book is arranged alphabetically according to the narrators' given names and is further sorted alphabetically by the names of their fathers—for instance, placing Ibrahim before Ahmad and ordering Ibrahim ibn Bashir ahead of Ibrahim ibn al-Hakam al-Duafa wa al-Matrukun l…. Entries are concise, extracting the core evaluations transmitted from leading early critical authorities al-Duafa wa al-Matrukun l…. Among the critics cited are Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Yahya ibn Ma'in, Ali ibn al-Madini, al-Bukhari, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Ibrahim ibn Ya‘qub al-Juzajani, ‘Amr ibn ‘Ali al-Fallas, Abu Hatim al-Razi, Ibn Abi Hatim, Abu Zur'ah al-Razi, Zakariyya al-Saji, al-Uqayli, ‘Ali ibn al-Junayd, Ibn 'Adi, Abu al-Fath al-Azdi, and al-Daraqutni al-Duafa wa al-Matrukun l….

Ibn al-Jawzi adopted the critical guideline that when scholars differ over a transmitter—with some deeming him weak and others reliable—giving precedence to criticism (jarh) over commendation (ta‘dil) is necessary al-Duafa wa al-Matrukun l….

Reception and Continuations

Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi remarked in Mizan al-I‘tidal that Ibn al-Jawzi listed disparaging statements against narrators while remaining silent on their corroborating attestations of reliability al-Hitta fi Dhikr al-Siha…. Al-Dhahabi initially abridged Ibn al-Jawzi's book and later composed successive appendices (dhayl) to it al-Hitta fi Dhikr al-Siha…+1. A continuation was also authored by Ala' al-Din Mughaltay (d. 762 AH) al-Hitta fi Dhikr al-Siha….

Notable Editions

al-Du‘afa’ wa al-Matrukun was edited by Abu al-Fida’ ‘Abd Allah al-Qadi and published by Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah in Beirut (first edition, 1406 AH / 1986 CE) Ifrad Ahadith Asma Allah …+1.