Al-Jadd al-Hathith fi Bayan ma Laysa bi Hadith
- Author died
- 1143 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Rāyah
Al-Jadd al-Hathith fi Bayan ma Laysa bi Hadith (The Earnest Effort in Clarifying What Is Not a Hadith) is a hadith critique by the Damascene Shafi'i jurist Ahmad al-Amiri al-Ghazzi (d. 1143 AH / 1730 CE), dedicated to identifying widespread sayings and circulating maxims falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ.
Composition and Source
The book was composed as an abridgment of Itqan ma Yahsun min al-Akhbar al-Da'irah 'ala al-Alsun (also recorded as Itqan ma Yahsun fi al-Ahadith al-Waridah 'ala al-Alsun), an extensive work on commonly circulating traditions compiled by the author's ancestor, the Syrian traditionist Najm al-Din al-Ghazzi. Ahmad al-Amiri condensed his forebear's source material to provide a direct, concise reference specifically demonstrating what among those circulating phrases has no authentic basis as a prophetic report.
Content and Method
The work examines numerous widely circulated adages, proverbs, and popular expressions that spread among the public under the assumption of being prophetic hadiths. Under each entry, the author determines the status of the text, establishing whether the statement is completely baseless in the elevated prophetic transmission (marfu'), whether it represents an ancient Arabic proverb, or whether it stems from human aphorisms. In various instances, the critical commentary distinguishes between the non-existence of a hadith chain for a phrase and the possible validity of its general meaning in Islamic law.
Scholarly Reception
Al-Jadd al-Hathith is cited in hadith literature alongside major classical treatises on circulating and ungrounded reports, including al-Maqasid al-Hasana by al-Sakhawi, Tamyiz al-Tayyib min al-Khabith by Ibn al-Dayba', and Kashf al-Khafa' by Isma'il al-Ajluni. The text was preserved in manuscript collections, including a copy held at the al-Zahiriyya Library in Damascus.
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