al-Kamil fi al-Duafa - Tarajim Saqita
- Author died
- 365 AH
- Editions
- t al-Husayni
al-Kamil fi al-Duafa - Tarajim Saqita (al-Kamil fi al-Du'afa': Tarajim Saqita, "The Complete Work on Weak Transmitters: Missing Biographies") is a collection of biographical entries recovered from manuscript copies of the major hadith-criticism biographical dictionary al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal by the hadith master Ibn Adi (277–365 AH / 890–975 CE) .
Background and Recovery
Earlier printed editions of Ibn Adi's encyclopedic biographical lexicon were marred by textual corruptions, misreadings, and omissions . The missing entries were identified when researchers, seeking specific critical assessments by Ibn Adi—such as his evaluation of the transmitter Salama ibn al-Fadl al-Abrash—found no trace of them in the standard printed text . Subsequent examination of manuscript microfilms at the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts revealed that multiple biographies, notably several figures named Salama, had dropped out of the published edition . These omitted sections were subsequently extracted and edited as a supplementary volume to rectify the lacunae in the published work .
Scope and Methodology
The entries follow Ibn Adi's standard methodological framework in al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal :
- Biographical identification: Transmitters are recorded with their names, patronymics, kunyas, and geographic or tribal affiliations .
- Transmission of critical opinions: Evaluations from earlier authorities in transmitter criticism (al-jarh wa-al-ta'dil)—including Yahya ibn Ma'in, Ali ibn al-Madini, Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari, and Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb al-Nasa'i—are cited with full chains of transmission (isnad) .
- Narrative specimens: Exemplary hadith reports narrated by the subject are recorded to illustrate the degree of singularity (afrad), irregularity (ghara'ib), or weakness (manakir) in their narrations .
- Authorial synthesis: Each profile concludes with Ibn Adi's own nuanced judgment of the narrator's reliability or the acceptability of their reports .
The recovered material contains biographies of transmitters such as Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Salt, Husayn (the father of Dawud ibn al-Husayn), Salama ibn Tamam al-Shaqari, and Salama ibn al-Fadl al-Abrash .
Significance of the Parent Work
al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal is widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive and authoritative reference works on weak and criticized hadith transmitters . When asked to author a book on weak narrators, al-Daraqutni declined, stating that Ibn Adi's work was sufficient and could not be surpassed . Later scholars such as Taj al-Din al-Subki and Ibn Kathir praised its unmatched breadth and scholarly rigor, making the recovery of its omitted sections an essential contribution to the integrity of the text .
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