al-Tabaqat al-Kubra - Mutammim al-Sahaba - al-Tabaqa al-Rabi'a

al-Tabaqat al-Kubra: Mutammim al-Sahaba – al-Tabaqa al-Rabi'a (The Great Book of Generations: Supplement on the Companions – The Fourth Class) is a biographical volume by the early Muslim historian and hadith scholar Ibn Sa'd (168–230 AH / 784–845 CE) devoted to the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad who accepted Islam at the conquest of Mecca and thereafter al-Durr al-Thamin fi Asma…+1.

Background and Preservation

Ibn Sa'd arranged his biographical compendium, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, into generational ranks (tabaqat), beginning with the biography of the Prophet and the military expeditions, followed by the Companions, the Successors (Tabi'un), and subsequent generations arranged by region, concluding with a volume dedicated to women Ulum al-Hadith wa Mustala…+1.

The early European printed edition prepared under the supervision of Eduard Sachau in Leiden, as well as subsequent commercial reprints based on it in Beirut and Cairo, suffered from substantial textual omissions because of missing portions in the surviving manuscripts used at the time al-Tabaqat al-Kubra+1. Among these gaps were major portions of the Companions' biographical entries, notably the fourth and fifth classes Ilm al-Rijal Nashatuhu wa…. The missing text for the fourth class of Companions was later recovered from manuscript sources and critically edited as a doctoral dissertation at Umm al-Qura University by 'Abd al-'Aziz 'Abd Allah al-Sallumi in 1410 AH Ilm al-Rijal Nashatuhu wa…+1.

Scope and Methodology

This supplementary section specifically compiles the biographies of the fourth generation of male Companions, defined as those who embraced Islam during the conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka) and subsequent events Akhbar Qabail al-Khazraj.

Ibn Sa'd's biographical method in this volume follows his broader systematic framework across the work:

• Tracing full genealogical lines through both paternal and maternal ancestry back to pre-Islamic roots al-Tabaqat al-Kubra - Mut….
• Listing kunyas, titles, and children, along with the names and lineages of their mothers al-Tabaqat al-Kubra - Mut….
• Documenting physical descriptions, clothing, appearance, and personal habits Asr al-Khilafa al-Rashida…+1.
• Recording administrative appointments, governorships, or judicial posts held by the biographees al-Tabaqat al-Kubra - Mut….
• Documenting hadith narrations and historical reports with full chains of transmission (isnad) drawing from numerous authorities, including his teacher al-Waqidi and several dozen hadith scholars Marwiyyat al-Imam al-Zuhr…+1.