Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi
al-Mujam al-Mukhtass bil-Muhaddithin
- Author died
- 748 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Siddiq
al-Mujam al-Mukhtass bil-Muhaddithin (The Specialized Dictionary of Hadith Scholars) is a biographical dictionary of hadith transmitters and authorities compiled by the Damascene historian and traditionist Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH / 1348 CE).
Purpose and Scope
In his introduction, al-Dhahabi states that he composed the work as a specialized biographical dictionary (muʿjam mukhtaṣṣ) dedicated to recording the hadith scholars with whom he sat in person as well as students of hadith who granted him authorization (ijāza) for their transmissions. He further noted that he distinguished varying degrees of proficiency among them through the specific descriptive titles and characterizations he assigned to each individual.
Content and Method
The dictionary is organized alphabetically by name. Under the letter dhāl (ذ), al-Dhahabi included an autobiographical entry for himself as the compiler of the dictionary. In this entry, he recorded his birth year as 673 AH and enumerated several figures who granted him authorization, including Abu Zakariyya Ibn al-Misri, Ibn Abi al-Khayr, al-Qutb Ibn ʿAsrun, and al-Qasim al-Irbili. He also listed his direct auditions across different regions, such as hearing from ʿUmar Ibn al-Qawwas in Damascus, Taj Ibn ʿUlwan in al-ʿUlayk, Abd al-Mumin ibn Khalaf al-Dimyati in Cairo, al-Abraquhi in al-Qarafa, al-Gharrafi in the coastal frontier port, al-Tawzari in Mecca, Sunqur al-Muzani in Aleppo, and ʿImad Ibn Badran in Nablus.
Publication
The work was edited by Muhammad al-Habib al-Hila and published in a single volume by Maktabat al-Siddiq in Ta'if, Saudi Arabia (1408 AH / 1988 CE).
Answer updated