al-Ziyadat ala al-Mawduat
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Maarif lil-Nashr wal-Tawzi
al-Ziyadat ala al-Mawduat (Additions to the Fabricated Hadiths) is a compendium of forged hadiths compiled by the Egyptian scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE) as a supplementary work to the hadith literature on fabrications .
Purpose and Composition
The book was conceived as an appendix (dhayl) to earlier works on fabricated traditions, specifically Ibn al-Jawzi's al-Mawduat . While Ibn al-Jawzi compiled a vast collection of fabricated narrations, he also included weak narrations that did not reach the threshold of forgery and omitted a substantial number of forged traditions . After completing his abridgment and critical assessment of Ibn al-Jawzi's work—titled al-La'ali al-masnu'ah fi al-ahadith al-mawdu'ah—al-Suyuti authored al-Ziyadat ala al-Mawduat to record the forged traditions that Ibn al-Jawzi had overlooked .
The work is also referred to as Dhayl al-La'ali al-masnu'ah (The Supplement to the Manufactured Pearls) or Dhayl al-Mawduat, reflecting its function as a continuation of his earlier critique .
Structure and Method
Al-Suyuti arranged the material topically according to the chapter headings used in Ibn al-Jawzi's al-Mawduat . However, he did not adhere strictly to all of Ibn al-Jawzi's chapters; themes containing only a small number of traditions were placed at the end of the work in an independent comprehensive section titled Kitab al-Jami' .
In presenting the narrations, al-Suyuti typically begins by citing the author from whom he transmits, followed by the full chain of transmission (isnad) and the text (matn) of the hadith . His critical approach includes:
- Chain criticism: He generally explains the defect in the transmission chain by highlighting problematic narrators and quoting evaluations from earlier critics such as Ibn Hibban, Ibn Adi, and Ibn al-Jawzi . He frequently draws upon narrator biographical works by al-Dhahabi (such as Mizan al-i'tidal and al-Mughni) and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's Lisan al-mizan, often summarizing their assessments .
- Textual criticism: For certain traditions—particularly those taken from al-Daylami—al-Suyuti leaves the chain unexamined, including the report solely on the basis of the severe irregularity and repugnance (nakara) of its text .
Sources
Al-Suyuti mined a wide range of earlier hadith and historical compilations known to contain forged and rare narrations . Among his primary sources:
- Musnad al-Firdaws by al-Daylami, accounting for approximately 500 narrations (nearly half of the book), largely accessed through Ibn Hajar's abridgment Zahr al-Firdaws .
- al-Ilal al-mutanahiyah by Ibn al-Jawzi, through which he frequently accessed the reports of al-Uqayli, Ibn Hibban, and Ibn Adi .
- Biographical and historical works, including al-Khatib al-Baghdadi's Tarikh Baghdad, Ibn al-Najjar's Dhayl Tarikh Baghdad, and Ibn Asakir's Tarikh Dimashq .
- Other compilations such as Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani's Hilyat al-awliya' and Tarikh Isbahan, al-Bayhaqi's Shu'ab al-iman, and al-Tabarani's al-Mu'jam al-kabir .
Reception and Influence
Along with Ibn al-Jawzi's al-Mawduat, al-Suyuti's compilations on fabrications became standard references for subsequent scholars writing on the subject . A significant synthesis of these works was produced by Ibn Iraq al-Kinani in his Tanzih al-shari'ah al-marfu'ah an al-ahadith al-shani'ah al-mawdu'ah, where each chapter was divided into three sections: narrations deemed forged by Ibn al-Jawzi without dispute, narrations where Ibn al-Jawzi was contested, and the additions brought by al-Suyuti .
The book was also cited extensively by later hadith scholars, including Muhammad Tahir al-Fattani in Tadhkirat al-mawdu'at, Mulla Ali al-Qari in al-Asrar al-marfu'ah, and al-Shawkani in al-Fawa'id al-majmu'ah . Scholars noted the particular utility of al-Suyuti preserving the full chains of transmission, allowing researchers to independently evaluate the narrators and identify latent defects .
Manuscripts and Editions
Surviving manuscripts include a copy transcribed in 910 AH by al-Suyuti's student Jaramard al-Nasiri al-Hanafi, which contains reading notes in al-Suyuti's handwriting confirming it was read before him, and a copy written by his student Shams al-Din al-Dawudi .
The work was printed in India under the title Dhayl al-La'ali al-masnu'ah fi al-ahadith al-mawdu'ah . A two-volume critical edition edited by Ramiz Khalid Haj Hasan was published in Riyadh in 1431 AH / 2010 CE .
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