Amthal al-Hadith li Abi al-Shaykh al-Asbahani
- Author died
- 369 AH
- Editions
- al-Dār al-Salafīyah
Amthal al-Hadith (Arabic: أمثال الحديث, also known as al-Amthal fi al-Hadith al-Nabawi) is a specialized hadith collection compiled by the Isfahan-based hadith scholar Abu al-Shaykh al-Asbahani (d. 369 AH / 979 CE), dedicated to gathering prophetic traditions that convey parables, similes, and proverbial maxims .
Subject and Scope
The work is focused on the genre of prophetic proverbs (amthal), compiling sayings and narratives of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that functioned as maxims, metaphorical lessons, or proverbial adages in Islamic literature .
Abu al-Shaykh opens the book with a section titled "What has been preserved from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that became a proverb" (ما حفظ عن رسول الله ﷺ فصار مثلا), beginning with the narration of Abd Allah ibn Amr: حفظت من رسول الله ﷺ ألف مثل ("I preserved one thousand parables from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ") .
Method and Structure
The book is structured into thematic and phrase-based chapter headings that cite specific statements of the Prophet ﷺ as proverbial principles, followed by full chains of transmission (isnad) tracing back to the Companions . Abu al-Shaykh draws these narrations from his teachers and authorities, such as Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili, Ibn Abi Asim, and Qasim al-Mutarriz .
Among the proverbial expressions recorded under dedicated headings in the text are:
- الْحَرْبُ خَدْعَةٌ ("War is deception") .
- لَيْسَ الْخَبَرُ كَالْمُعَايَنَةِ ("Hearing of something is not like seeing it directly") .
- لَا يُلْدَغُ الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنْ جُحْرٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ ("A believer is not stung twice from the same hole") .
- زُرْ غِبًّا تَزْدَدْ حُبًّا ("Visit intermittently, you will increase in affection") .
- الْمُسْتَشَارُ مُؤْتَمَنٌ ("The one consulted is entrusted") .
The work also includes narrations describing instances where the Prophet ﷺ recited poetic verses as illustrative maxims, along with relevant verses cited by later transmitters for poetic comparison .
Editions
The work was edited and critically studied by 'Abd al-'Ali 'Abd al-Hamid Hamid and published by al-Dar al-Salafiyyah in Bombay, India, in a first edition in 1402 AH / 1982 CE, followed by a second edition in 1408 AH / 1987 CE .
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