al-Majma al-Muassis lil-Mujam al-Mufahras
- Author died
- 852 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Ma'rifah
al-Majma al-Muassis lil-Mujam al-Mufahras (The Founding Collection for the Indexed Dictionary) is a comprehensive biographical dictionary of teachers and transmitted works compiled by the Shafi'i hadith scholar Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (d. 852 AH / 1449 CE) .
Composition and Purpose
Ibn Hajar began writing the initial draft of the work in 806 AH in Aden . He completed the main text on Thursday, 16 Jumada al-Akhira 829 AH in Cairo, with subsequent additions incorporated over later years . He later distilled and reorganized material from it into his al-Fihrist (also known as al-Mu'jam al-Mufahras), adding further chains of transmission received via general authorization (ijazah) and completing that supplementary work in Sha'ban 832 AH .
In his preface, Ibn Hajar noted that he followed the established practice of early hadith scholars in recording the biographies of their teachers . He aimed to combine the biographical register of his instructors (mashyakhah) with a catalog of received texts (fihrist), documenting under each scholar's entry the specific texts, hadiths, or parts he had audited (sama'), read (qira'ah), or been authorized to transmit .
Structure and Scope
The dictionary is arranged alphabetically according to the Arabic alphabet . Ibn Hajar divided the entries by mode of transmission into two primary divisions—those from whom he received direct narration and those from whom he acquired material via scholarly discussions (mudhakarah) or peers—and categorized them into five generational tiers based on the elevation of chains of transmission (uluww) .
The work includes a total of 644 individual biographical entries, approximately 55 of which belong to female scholars; after accounting for 16 duplicated entries, the total amounts to 628 distinct authorities . Ibn Hajar's student al-Sakhawi later categorized these authorities into three groups: over 230 from whom Ibn Hajar audited narrations directly, more than 220 who granted him authorizations (ijazat), and over 180 encountered through scholarly discussions or poetic recitation, totaling around 630 individuals excluding cross-references .
The entries document teachers Ibn Hajar encountered in Egypt or during his travels across the Hejaz, the Levant, and Yemen . Among the prominent scholars included are:
- Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi, whose extensive entry details numerous transmissions and chains over more than a dozen pages
- Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini and Ibn al-Mulaqqin in Shafi'i jurisprudence
- Nur al-Din al-Haythami in hadith
- Ibrahim al-Tanukhi in Quranic recitations
- Izz al-Din Ibn Jama'ah in legal theory
- Majd al-Din al-Fayruzabadi in Arabic language and lexicography
- Female traditionalists such as Fatimah bint al-Manja al-Tanukhiyya, Fatimah al-Maqdisiyya, and Maryam bint al-Adhra'i
Modern Publication
The book was edited and published by Yusuf al-Mar'ashli, who prepared an edition based on available manuscripts, providing biographical annotations for the figures and transmitted titles cited within the text, as well as analytical indices for Quranic verses, hadith narrations, authors, and book titles .
Answer updated