al-Ikhtilaf bayna Ruwat al-Bukhari
- Author died
- 909 AH
- Editions
- Manuscript published in the free program Jawāmiʿ al-Kalim of the Islamweb website
al-Ikhtilaf bayna Ruwat al-Bukhari (Discrepancies Between the Transmitters of al-Bukhari) is a specialized hadith treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn al-Mubarrad (d. 909 AH / 1503 CE) that analyzes transmission variants, discrepancies, and narrator naming errors across the recensions of Sahih al-Bukhari.
Origin and Scope
The work is an abridgment of the fifth and sixth parts of Taqyid al-Muhmal wa-Tamyiz al-Mushkil by Abu Ali al-Ghassani al-Jayyani (d. 498 AH / 1105 CE), specifically the section titled al-Tanbih 'ala al-Awham al-Waqi'ah fi al-Sahihayn min Qibal al-Ruwat ("Alerting to Errors Occurring in the Two Sahihs on the Part of Transmitters") regarding Sahih al-Bukhari. The work also appears under the fuller titles al-Ikhtilaf bayna Ruwat al-Bukhari 'an al-Firabri wa-Riwayatan 'an Ibrahim ibn Ma'qil al-Nasafi and al-'Ilal al-Waqi'ah fi Kitab al-Jami' al-Sahih lil-Bukhari.
The text focuses on discrepancies in the chains of transmission (asanid) of Sahih al-Bukhari. It primarily documents variations among transmitters conveying the collection from Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Firabri—such as Abu Ali Sa'id ibn Uthman ibn al-Sakan, Abu Zayd Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Marwazi, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Ahmad al-Mustamli, Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Hamawi, Abu al-Haytham Muhammad ibn Makki al-Kushmihani, and Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Jurjani—as well as passages from the transmission of Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Ma'qil al-Nasafi.
Structure and Content
The treatise is arranged according to the standard thematic chapters of Sahih al-Bukhari, opening with Kitab al-Iman (Book of Faith) and proceeding through books such as Kitab al-Ilm (Book of Knowledge), Kitab al-Wudu' (Book of Ablution), and Kitab al-Salah (Book of Prayer). Under each thematic section, Ibn al-Mubarrad lists hadiths and analyzes specific isnad anomalies and textual variants across manuscripts:
- Identifying scribal and vocalization errors (awham) in narrator names, such as demonstrating that a narrator is 'Amr ibn Khalid rather than 'Umar ibn Khalid.
- Noting dropped links and omitted names in particular recensions, such as the omission of Musaddad or Yahya ibn Adam in certain manuscript lines.
- Comparing conflicting attributions among transmitters and assessing them using insights from critical authorities such as Abu Mas'ud al-Dimashqi, Abu Ali al-Ghassani, and Abu al-Hasan al-Qabisi.
Manuscripts and Publication
A manuscript copy of the treatise is preserved at Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah in approximately 56 folios. The work was edited by Salah Fathi Halal and published in one volume by Dar al-Watan in Riyadh in 1420 AH. It has also been edited by Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Yusifan under the title al-'Ilal al-Waqi'ah fi Kitab al-Jami' al-Sahih lil-Bukhari.
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