Dhayl Tabaqat al-Huffaz li al-Suyuti
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmīyah
Dhayl Tabaqat al-Huffaz (Supplement to the Generations of Hadith Masters) is a biographical continuation written by al-Jalal al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE) to append later hadith authorities to al-Dhahabi's biographical work on hadith memorizers .
Purpose and Scope
Al-Suyuti framed the work as an extension devoted to the ranks of hadith memorizers (huffaz) and critics who uphold the prophetic tradition, specifically those whose independent evaluation (ijtihad) is relied upon in validating (ta'dil), disparaging (jarh), authenticating (tashih), and declaring hadiths weak (tad'if) . Building upon his abridgment of al-Dhahabi's Tadhkirat al-Huffaz (also known as Tabaqat al-Huffaz), al-Suyuti added entries for prominent scholars of the generations succeeding al-Dhahabi up to Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (d. 852 AH) .
Structure and Content
The supplement is organized chronologically according to scholarly generations (tabaqat), continuing the sequence beyond the earlier tiers :
- The Twenty-Second Generation: Contains 15 entries, opening with the biography of Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH), recounting his works, studies, and status in hadith criticism . Within this entry, al-Suyuti notes that later hadith scholars fundamentally rely upon four masters in biographical criticism (rijal) and hadith disciplines: al-Mizzi, al-Dhahabi, Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi, and Ibn Hajar .
- The Twenty-Third Generation: Comprises 11 biographical notices .
- The Twenty-Fourth Generation: Comprises 9 biographical notices .
- The Twenty-Fifth Generation: Comprises 11 biographical notices .
Each biographical entry outlines the scholar's lineage, memorization, notable teachers and students, authored works, and death date .
Relation to Other Works and Publication
The material of the supplement forms the concluding part of al-Suyuti's broader work Tabaqat al-Huffaz, which condenses al-Dhahabi's collection and contains 1,192 biographical notices in total across 24 generations, beginning with the Companions . In modern printings, al-Suyuti's Dhayl is frequently published together with other historical continuations of al-Dhahabi's work, including the Dhayl by Abu al-Mahasin al-Husayni (d. 765 AH) and Lahz al-Alhaz bi-Dhayl Tabaqat al-Huffaz by Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Fahd al-Makki .
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