al-Jami fi al-Khatam li al-Bayhaqi
- Author died
- 458 AH
- Editions
- al-Dār al-Salafīyah
al-Jamiʿ fi al-Khatam (Arabic: الجامع في الخاتم, lit. 'The Comprehensive Treatise on the Signet Ring') is a short Hadith monograph by the Shafi'i traditionist and jurist Abu Bakr al-Bayhaqi (d. 458 AH / 1066 CE) examining the prophetic traditions regarding the wearing of signet rings .
Subject and Legal Argument
The treatise is a brief work—spanning approximately five folios in manuscript form—devoted to the rulings and narrations concerning the Prophet Muhammad's signet ring, the metals used in its manufacture, its physical characteristics and stone, and the manner in which it was worn .
A central objective of the work is reconciling conflicting reports over whether the Prophet wore his signet ring on his right or left hand . Al-Bayhaqi argues on the basis of authentic narrations transmitted by Abdullah ibn Umar and Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet initially wore a gold signet ring on his right hand, which he subsequently discarded and prohibited; he then adopted a silver ring, which he wore on the pinky finger of his left hand until his death . He critiques narrations mentioning that the silver ring was worn on the right hand as unpreserved (ghayr mahfūz) .
Applying Shafi'i legal theory, al-Bayhaqi concludes that wearing the ring on the left hand is preferable (awlā), arguing that the ultimate evidentiary weight lies with the Prophet's final practice (al-hujja abadan fī al-ākhir min amrih) . He likens this deduction to al-Shafi'i's methodology regarding standing versus sitting for funeral processions, noting also that al-Shafi'i himself wore his ring on his left hand with the engraving reading: «الله ثقة محمد بن إدريس» ("Allah is the trust of Muhammad ibn Idris") .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript copies of the treatise have survived in collections such as the Ahmet III Library in Istanbul (MS 1127/3) and the 'Arif Hikmat Library in Medina (Majmu' 194/6) .
The work was edited and annotated by 'Amr 'Ali 'Umar and published in a first edition by al-Dar al-Salafiyya in Bombay, India, in 1407 AH / 1987 CE .
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