Bulghat al-Arib fi Mustalah Athar al-Habib
- Author died
- 1205 AH
- Editions
- Maktab al-Maṭbū‘āt al-Islāmiyyah
Bulghat al-Arib fi Mustalah Athar al-Habib (The Adept’s Sufficiency in the Terminology of the Beloved’s Traditions) is a concise treatise on the principles and terminology of Hadith science (mustalah al-hadith) by the Indian-born lexicographer and hadith scholar Murtada al-Zabidi (1145–1205 AH / 1732–1791 CE) .
Background and Composition
Al-Zabidi composed the work in Yemen in 1163 AH (1750 CE) upon the request of his associate, 'Abd al-Halim ibn 'Isa al-Dharwani . In the treatise's opening prologue, al-Zabidi states that he prepared it as a personal aide-mémoire and a pedagogical guide for students, intending to delineate the conventions established by hadith scholars across generations and drawing from foundational works in the field . The title reflects the treatise's brevity and intended practical utility . In some biographical and catalog records, the book is recorded with slight variations, such as Bulghat al-Gharib fi Mustalah Athar al-Habib or Bughyat al-Arib .
Structure and Content
The text is structured closely upon the framework and classifications of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's Nukhbat al-Fikar and its commentary, summarizing its essential divisions and definitions without explicitly citing it as its primary source .
Al-Zabidi begins by classifying transmitted reports (akhbar) into mutawatir (successively transmitted) and ahad (solitary) transmissions . He then divides solitary narrations according to their transmission lines into mashhur (well-known), 'aziz (rare), and gharib (singular), defining each category and elaborating on sub-branches such as al-fard al-mutlaq (absolute single-narrator report) and al-fard al-nisbi (relative single-narrator report) . The treatise addresses the criteria distinguishing accepted (maqbul) from rejected (mardud) narrations and sets out the standard rules governing narrator criticism and authentication .
Publication History
The work was first printed in Cairo in 1326 AH (1908 CE) . It was later edited by Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, who verified its text, provided explanatory glosses on obscure passages, and prefaced it with a biography of al-Zabidi . This edition was published in Beirut in 1408 AH / 1988 CE, bound together in a single volume alongside Ibn al-Hanbali's Qafw al-Athar fi Safw 'Ulum al-Athar .
Answer updated