Ibn al-Jawzi
Gharib al-Hadith - Ibn al-Jawzi
- Author died
- 597 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah
Gharib al-Hadith (The Rare and Obscure Expressions in Hadith) is a specialized lexicon compiled by the Baghdad-born Hanbali scholar Abu al-Faraj Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH / 1201 CE) to elucidate uncommon, difficult, and obscure vocabulary occurring in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his Companions, and their Successors .
Purpose and Composition
In his introduction, Ibn al-Jawzi notes that as the early Muslim community expanded and mingled with non-Arab populations, linguistic errors (lahn) spread, causing most people to become unfamiliar with refined Arabic expressions and necessitating lexicons of hadith . He surveys earlier treatises in the genre—including the pioneering works of al-Nadr ibn Shumayl, Abu Ubaydah Ma'mar ibn al-Muthanna, al-Asma'i, Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, Ibrahim al-Harbi, Ibn Qutaybah, and Abu Sulayman al-Khattabi .
Turning to Abu Ubayd Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Harawi, author of Kitab al-Gharibayn, Ibn al-Jawzi observes that al-Harawi had largely confined his material to what Abu Mansur al-Azhari recorded in Tahdhib al-Lughah, had left out various rare expressions, and had included obvious words that did not require explanation . Ibn al-Jawzi thus set out to compile a comprehensive work encompassing the obscure vocabulary across the hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ and the reports of the Companions and Successors, aiming to provide a reference that would suffice for the seeker .
Structure and Methodology
The work is organized alphabetically according to the Arabic dictionary order (huruf al-mu'jam), grouping entries by initial root letters and their subsequent consonants (such as the letter alif with ta', alif with tha', and alif with jim) . Unlike al-Harawi's al-Gharibayn, which combined Quranic and hadith terms, Ibn al-Jawzi restricted his compilation exclusively to hadith literature and omitted Quranic vocabulary .
Methodologically, Ibn al-Jawzi adopted a concise style, providing direct definitions and contextual clarifications of the terms without delving deeply into morphology (tasrif) or etymology (ishtiqaq), arguing that comprehensive linguistic lexicons are better suited for such discussions and intending the conciseness to aid memorizers and students .
Scholarly Reception
Later hadith lexicographers appraised Ibn al-Jawzi's compilation in relation to earlier sources. Majd al-Din Ibn al-Athir, in the introduction to his al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa-l-Athar, evaluated the work critically, stating that he examined it and found it to be essentially an abridgment extracted section by section from al-Harawi's al-Gharibayn, with only a minor fraction of isolated or rare terms added to it . Al-Sakhawi likewise characterized the work in Fath al-Mughith as an abridgment of al-Harawi accompanied by slight additions .
Publication
The book was edited by Abd al-Mu'ti Amin Qal'aji and published in two volumes by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah in Beirut (1405 AH / 1985 CE) .
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