al-Thani min Ajza Ibn al-Sawwaf
- Author died
- 359 AH
- Editions
- Manuscript published in the free program Jawāmiʿ al-Kalim affiliated with Islamweb website
al-Thani min Ajza Ibn al-Sawwaf (Arabic: الثاني من أجزاء ابن الصواف, lit. 'The Second of the Hadith Parts of Ibn al-Sawwaf') is a short hadith compilation (juz') preserving narrations transmitted by the Baghdadi traditionist Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Sawwaf (270–359 AH / 884–970 CE) .
Background and Transmission
Abu Ali ibn al-Sawwaf was an authoritative Baghdadi hadith transmitter known for his scrupulous precision and reliability . His narrations were curated and transmitted in discrete parts (ajza'), several of which were selected (intiqa') by the hadith master al-Daraqutni . Later scholars, including Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, recorded transmission chains for these parts, specifically citing the second and third parts of Ibn al-Sawwaf's hadith collections .
The material preserved in this second part is transmitted largely through the teacher of Ibn al-Sawwaf, Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah, drawing extensively on narrations from his father Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah, his uncle Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, Yahya ibn Ma'in, Minjab ibn al-Harith, and other classical traditionists .
Contents and Scope
The collection contains prophetical traditions (marfu'), companion reports (mawquf), and early exegetical traditions (athar) focused on two overarching topics:
- Creation and Life of Adam: Narrations concerning the creation of Adam from different clays and soils of the earth, the naming of Adam and humanity, the presentation of Adam's progeny before him, and the granting of forty years of Adam's lifespan to the Prophet David (Dawud) . It includes accounts detailing Friday as the day of Adam's creation, entrance into Paradise, and expulsion; Adam's grief, repentance, and the words he received from God; his labor upon the earth; and his death, accompanied by the angels washing, shrouding, and burying him as an established custom for mankind .
- Pre-existence and Prophecies of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: Reports detailing the Prophet's station before creation, where he was written as a prophet وَآدَمُ بَيْنَ الرُّوحِ وَالْجَسَدِ ("while Adam was between spirit and body") . It compiles descriptions and foreshowings of the Prophet and his community found in earlier scriptures, dialogues between Moses (Musa) and God concerning the virtues of the Prophet's community, and reports of monks and pre-Islamic figures anticipating the birth of the Prophet in Mecca .
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