al-Nafaqa ala al-Iyal li-Ibn Abi al-Dunya
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn al-Qayyim
al-Nafaqa ʿala al-ʿIyal (also known as Kitab al-ʿIyal; The Book of Dependents) is a third-century AH hadith and narration-based work compiled by Abu Bakr Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 281 AH / 894 CE) on the virtue and duty of financially supporting and raising one's family and dependents .
Structure and Content
The work consists of 674 transmitted texts divided across thirty-five thematic chapters, opening with a chapter dedicated to the maintenance of dependents and the reward for providing for them (Bab al-nafaqa ʿala al-ʿiyal wa-l-thawab ʿala al-nafaqa ʿalayhim) . The collection gathers prophetic traditions, statements of early authorities (salaf), anecdotes, and poetic verses covering educational, moral, and pedagogical guidance on family life, the upbringing of children, and the rights of household members .
Methodology
Ibn Abi al-Dunya followed a structured narration method throughout the book :
- Arrangement of texts: In each section, he typically places marfuʿ traditions (attributed directly to the Prophet ﷺ) first, followed by mawquf reports (attributed to Companions and Successors), and concludes the chapter with relevant anecdotes and lines of poetry .
- Transmission chains (isnad): Every report, anecdote, and verse of poetry is cited with its own chain of transmission leading back to the original source or speaker .
- Editorial style: The author refrains from extensive personal commentary or doctrinal discussion, only rarely intervening with brief explanations . Texts are generally not repeated across sections except when a repetition provides an additional textual variant (matn) or an alternative transmission line (isnad) .
Significance and Editions
The book is valued among classical sources as an early, isnad-based monograph illustrating educational practices and family care doctrines prevalent in the third Islamic century .
The work has been edited and published in modern print:
- An edition edited by Najm ʿAbd al-Rahman Khalaf in two volumes (1,032 pages), published by Dar Ibn al-Qayyim in Dammam (1st edition, 1410 AH / 1990 CE) .
- An edition edited by Musʿad al-Saʿdani, published by Maktabat al-Qur'an in Cairo in 1994 .
Answer updated