Kitab al-Arbaeen fi Fadail Dhikr Rabb al-Alamin
- Author died
- 420 AH
- Editions
- Kitab al-Arbaeen fi Fadail Dhikr Rabb al-Alamin
Kitab al-Arbaeen fi Fadail Dhikr Rabb al-Alamin (The Book of Forty [Hadiths] on the Virtues of Remembering the Lord of the Worlds) is a thematic hadith collection compiled by Musafir ibn Muhammad ibn Haji focusing on the merits and virtues of the remembrance of God (dhikr) .
Background and Composition
The compiler originally gathered a collection of forty traditions without their chains of transmission (asānīd), which he titled Matar al-Fikr fi Izhar al-Dhikr (The Range of Thought in Disclosing Remembrance) . Following requests from a circle of scholars—among whom he specifically names the jurist Abu Mahmud ibn Maymun ibn Mahmud (Majd al-Din)—he renewed his resolve to provide each hadith with its full chain of narration . In doing so, he produced this work and additionally named it Wasa'il al-Mawla fi Dhikr al-Mawla (The Means to the Master in the Remembrance of the Master) .
Structure and Content
The work opens with an introductory prologue celebrating the eloquence and precision of prophetic speech and the merits of collecting forty hadiths, citing relevant narrations such as the hadith of intention ( إنما الأعمال بالنيات , "Actions are only by intentions"), the narration on transmitting hadiths ( نضر الله تعالى امرأ سمع منا حديثا , "May God brighten a person who hears a hadith from us..."), and reports promising intercession for those who preserve forty prophetic traditions for the community . This is followed by the renowned continuously transmitted hadith on mercy (al-hadith al-musalsal bi-l-awwaliyyah: الراحمون يرحمهم الرحمن , "The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful") .
The core of the book comprises forty hadiths arranged sequentially with their complete isnads, addressing key themes related to dhikr . These include:
- The virtue and weight of the testimony of faith (la ilaha illa Allah) and its role in salvation from Hellfire .
- The prescribed invocations recited audibly following the conclusion of the ritual prayer .
- The merits of glorification (tasbīḥ), praise (taḥmīd), and declaration of God's oneness (tahlīl) .
Transmission and Sources
Musafir ibn Haji transmits the hadiths through his direct teachers from various learning centers, such as Abu Bakr Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Shahawar al-Asadi al-Razi (whom he heard at his residence in Tustar in 640 AH) and Muhammad ibn As'ad ibn Ibrahim al-Farghani (from whom he heard transmissions in 641, 643, and 648 AH) . His chains trace through notable earlier hadith authorities, including Abu Tahir Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Silafi, al-Mu'ayyad ibn Muhammad al-Tusi, and the major compilers al-Bukhari and Muslim .
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