al-Sahm al-Musib fi al-Radd ala al-Khatib
- Author died
- 624 AH
- Editions
- t al-Ilmiyya
al-Sahm al-Musib fi al-Radd ala al-Khatib (The Direct Arrow in Rebuttal of al-Khatib) is an apologetic treatise written by the Ayyubid ruler and Hanafi scholar al-Malik al-Mu'azzam 'Isa (576–624 AH / 1180–1227 CE) to defend Imam Abu Hanifa against critical narrations published in al-Khatib al-Baghdadi's biographical chronicle Tarikh Baghdad.
Background and Authorship
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 463 AH) included in his biographical entry on Abu Hanifa in Tarikh Baghdad a collection of narrations containing disparaging remarks and criticisms regarding Abu Hanifa's theological views, grasp of Arabic, and reliance on legal reasoning. The work is also cited under the alternate title al-Sahm al-Musib fi Kabid al-Khatib (The Direct Arrow in the Liver of al-Khatib), as well as Kitab al-Radd ala Abi Bakr al-Khatib al-Baghdadi. The bibliographer al-Rudani noted that while the treatise is primarily attributed to al-Malik al-Mu'azzam Sharaf al-Din 'Isa ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ayyub, it was also attributed by some to his brother Abu al-Muzaffar Musa.
Contents and Methodology
The author systematically addresses the critical reports presented by al-Khatib, defending Abu Hanifa across linguistic, methodological, and biographical domains:
- Linguistic Competence: In response to an anecdote claiming Abu Hanifa made grammatical errors when using the phrase «بأبا قبيس» (bi-Aba Qubays), the author argues that invariant declension in the dual and the six nouns is an attested dialectal usage among classical Arabs, citing poetic evidence as well as the Quranic reading in verse إِنْ هَذَانِ لَسَاحِرَانِ (In hadhani la-sahirani).
- Hadith and Legal Methodology: In response to allegations that Abu Hanifa opposed hundreds of prophetic traditions, the author highlights the inconsistency of such claims and details the jurisprudential justifications behind specific rulings, such as the legal penalties concerning stolen goods. He maintains that Abu Hanifa prioritized the Quran and authentic prophetic reports over individual opinions.
- Epistemological Arguments: The author asserts that the students and adherents of Abu Hanifa had direct, continuous, and widespread (mutawatir) knowledge of his doctrines and character, which he contrasts with the isolated (ahad) and biased reports assembled by al-Khatib.
- Critique of Narrations: The work scrutinizes the historical plausibility and chains of transmission of hostile accounts, including dream narratives and claims of public denunciations.
Manuscripts and Publication History
Manuscript copies of the treatise are preserved in several collections:
- A manuscript in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya (History MS 153), transcribed in 623 AH during the author's lifetime and cross-checked against the copy read back to him.
- A copy in the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (MS 4775, copied in 1101 AH).
- A copy in the Esad Efendi collection in Istanbul (MS 721, copied in 1084 AH).
The text was published in Cairo by Matba'at Dar al-Sa'ada in 1351 AH (1932 CE), printed as a dedicated appendix to volume 13 of Tarikh Baghdad to directly accompany the biography of Abu Hanifa. It was later reprinted in Beirut by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya, where it was erroneously attributed on the cover to Ibn al-Najjar because of its inclusion alongside his biographical supplement.
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