Ishraqat al-Usul fi Ilm Hadith al-Rasul - Majallat al-Turath al-Nabawi
- Author died
- 838 AH
- Editions
- Majallat al-Turāth al-Nabawī, Issue 3 (an electronic journal, not printed)
Ishraqat al-Usul fi Ilm Hadith al-Rasul (The Illuminations of Principles in the Science of the Messenger's Hadith) is a concise treatise on hadith terminology (mustalah al-hadith) by Abu Muhammad Jalal al-Din al-Qayini (d. 838 AH / 1434–1435 CE) . It was critically edited by 'Amr 'Abd al-'Azim al-Huwayni and published in the journal Majallat al-Turath al-Nabawi .
Background and Sources
Al-Qayini composed the work upon his arrival in Nishapur following the request of a group of scholars, intending it as an accessible primer that contains the minimum knowledge required for students of hadith and the Islamic disciplines . On its cover, the author noted that he wrote its chapters concisely to facilitate memorization and recall, observing that knowledge of the discipline had become scarce .
In his introduction, al-Qayini stated that he compiled the text from several foundational works, including:
- Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi's al-Jami' and al-Ilal
- Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi's Ma'rifat Ulum al-Hadith and al-Madkhal
- Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi's al-Kifayah and al-Jami'
- Ibn al-Salah's Ulum al-Hadith
- Badr al-Din Ibn Jama'ah's al-Manhal al-Rawi
- Works of Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi, including al-Irshad, al-Taqrib wa-l-Taysir, and his commentary on Sahih Muslim
- Sharaf al-Din al-Tibi's al-Khulasah fi Ma'rifat al-Hadith
- Ibn al-Jazari's al-Bidayah and al-Hidayah
Despite citing these various references, critical analysis by the editor revealed that the treatise is predominantly an abridgment of al-Tibi's al-Khulasah, supplemented with occasional quotations from other authorities .
Structure and Content
Al-Qayini structured the book into an introduction, four core sections, and an epilogue :
- Introduction (Muqaddimah): Comprising seven chapters addressing the introductory principles of hadith books, conditions of transmission, the ruling on fabricating reports against the Prophet ﷺ, the transcription of hadith and its etiquette, the number of verified traditions, and the decorum of hadith study circles .
- Section One: Focuses on hadith texts (al-mutun) .
- Section Two: Covers chains of narration (al-asanid) .
- Section Three: Details the modes of receiving and transmitting hadith (kayfiyyat al-tahammul wa-l-riwayah) .
- Section Four: Discusses narrator biography and identification (asma' al-rijal) .
- Epilogue (Khatimah): Summarizes miscellaneous benefits and the virtues of hadith scholarship .
Manuscripts and Publication
The edition prepared by 'Amr 'Abd al-'Azim al-Huwayni relied on two manuscript witnesses :
- Manuscript A: Preserved in al-Khizanah al-Zahidiyyah in Pakistan; transcribed by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Najhi on Friday, 14 Jumada al-Akhirah 875 AH (consisting of 31 folios, 15 lines per page) .
- Manuscript B: Preserved in the Gazi Husrev-beg Library in Sarajevo under accession number 4429, without a scribal colophon or date (consisting of 26 folios, 19 lines per page) .
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