al-Mujtana
- Author died
- 321 AH
- Editions
- Dā'irat al-Ma‘ārif al-‘Uthmāniyyah
Al-Mujtana (also recorded as al-Mujtaba) is an anthology of literary traditions, prophetic sayings, poetry, and aphorisms compiled by the Basran philologist and lexicographer Ibn Durayd (223–321 AH / 838–933 CE) .
Purpose and Scope
In his introduction, Ibn Durayd explains the title al-Mujtana ("The Plucked" or "The Gathered") as a metaphor for gathering choice literary and moral traditions in the manner of harvesting fine fruits . The book encompasses a concise selection of verified reports (akhbar mawthuqa), eloquent phrasing (alfaz mustarshaqa), refined verse (ash'ar ra'iqa), profound meanings (ma'ani fakhma), maxims of wisdom (hikam mutanahiya), and selected traditions (ahadith muntakhaba) . Ibn Durayd favored brevity in assembling the collection to avoid inducing weariness in the reader, noting that when conciseness suffices, excess is mere babble, whereas if expounding is required, brevity amounts to deficiency .
Structure and Method
The anthology begins with transmitted sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ characterized by their natural eloquence and clarity . Ibn Durayd arranges the contents into distinct reports, speeches, verses, and maxims attributed to early authorities and prominent figures. In documenting his material, he distinguishes between his modes of reception:
- Oral transmissions and poems that he heard directly and attributed to his informants .
- Material read from books under his teachers, specifying whether reception occurred via direct audition (sama'), general authorization (ijaza), or descended transmission chains (nuzul) .
Reception and Title Variants
In various classical sources and manuscript traditions—including al-Fihrist by Ibn al-Nadim and biographical works by Ibn Khallikan, Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi, and al-Safadi—the work is titled al-Mujtaba . Al-Dhahabi described it as a concise treatise that he studied through an elevated chain of transmission (sama'nahu bi-'uluww) . Despite its small volume, the book served as a source of rare biographical and literary transmissions for later scholars, such as Ibn 'Asakir, who extracted numerous reports from it in Tarikh Dimashq .
The text was published in Hyderabad in 1342 AH (also cited in some records as 1362 AH), edited by the Orientalist Fritz Krenkow from a manuscript transcribed by Kamal al-Din Ibn al-'Adim .
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