al-Thamin min Ajza Abi Ali ibn Shadhan
- Author died
- 246 AH
- Editions
- Manuscript published in the free program Jawāmi‘ al-Kalim affiliated with Islamweb
al-Thamin min Ajza Abi Ali ibn Shadhan (The Eighth Part of the Hadith Parts of Abu Ali ibn Shadhan) is a specialized hadith collection (juzʾ) compiled by Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn Khalaf ibn Shadhan (d. 246 AH / 860–861 CE), assembling prophetic traditions and ancestral reports transmitted through his teachers.
Content and Structure
The work comprises 204 numbered reports transmitted with full chains of narration (asānīd). The collection opens with an unnumbered invocation of mercy for the Prophet's companions and their successors: « اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلصَّحَابَةِ، وَلِمَنْ رَأَى، وَلِمَنْ رَأَى » ("O Allah, forgive the Companions, and whoever saw them, and whoever saw those who saw them"). The first numbered tradition is a narration from Ibn Abbas stating that the Prophet ﷺ said: « الْهَدْيُ الصَّالِحُ وَالسَّمْتُ الصَّالِحُ وَالاقْتِصَادُ جُزْءٌ مِنْ خَمْسَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ جُزْءًا مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ » ("Right guidance, good demeanor, and moderation are one of twenty-five parts of prophethood"). The final entry (report 204) records a prophetic statement regarding cupping: « مَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ مُحْتَجِمًا فَلْيَحْتَجِمْ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ » ("Whoever among you undergoes cupping, let him do so on Saturday").
Thematic Scope
The traditions collected in the volume span several central areas of Islamic literature:
- Legal Rulings (Fiqh): The text records rulings concerning ritual prayer—including the night vigil prayer (qiyām al-layl), alignment of prayer rows, and the prayer of the traveler—as well as ablution and purification. It contains regulations regarding pilgrimage rites (Hajj and Umrah), confirming that Hajj is obligatory only once and noting the prohibition of marrying while in ihram. It also addresses financial transactions, including the mutual option to rescind a contract (khiyār al-majlis), along with marriage, dowry, and divorce provisions.
- Theology and Eschatology: Several entries address foundational matters of creed, such as belief in divine destiny (qadar), the theological debate between Adam and Moses concerning predestination, and signs of the Day of Judgment.
- Virtues and Merits (Faḍāʾil): The part preserves narrations extolling the Prophet’s household (Ahl al-Bayt), comparing them to Noah’s Ark, as well as traditions detailing the merits of early companions including Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and the Ansar.
- Ethics and Supplications: The work documents prophetic supplications, gatherings of remembrance (majālis al-dhikr), personal conduct, and ethical warnings against backbiting, arrogance, and hypocrisy.
Direct Transmitters
The compiler received the contents of the volume through a circle of contemporary scholars and hadith authorities, foremost among them Muhammad ibn Isa ibn Hayyan al-Mada'ini, Yahya ibn Ja'far, Muhammad ibn al-Haytham, Hanbal ibn Ishaq, Ahmad ibn al-Walid al-Fahham, Ibn Abi Khaythama (Ahmad ibn Zuhayr), Abd al-Malik ibn Muhammad, al-Hasan ibn Sallam, Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn Abi al-Hunayni, and Abd al-Rahman ibn Marzuq.
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