Kitab al-Arbain fi Irshad al-Sairin ila Manazil al-Muttaqin aw al-Arbain al-Ta'iyya
- Author died
- 555 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashā’ir al-Islāmiyyah
Kitab al-Arbain fi Irshad al-Sairin ila Manazil al-Muttaqin (Arabic: كتاب الأربعين في إرشاد السائرين إلى منازل المتقين), also known as al-Arba'in al-Ta'iyya, is a comprehensive forty-hadith collection compiled by the jurist and traditionist Abu al-Futuh Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Ta'i al-Hamadhani (475–555 AH / 1082–1160 CE) . The work combines hadith transmission, legal commentary, biographical notices, moral narratives, and poetry .
Background and Composition
Abu al-Futuh al-Ta'i, who was based in Hamadhan after studying in Khorasan and training in jurisprudence in Merv under Muhammad al-Sam'ani, compiled the collection from his own heard transmissions (masmu'at) . In his preface, the author noted that he was motivated by various narrations of the prophetic report regarding preserving forty hadiths of the Sunnah for the Muslim community . He delivered and dictated the collection during his public teaching and preaching assemblies in Hamadhan and in Baghdad .
Structure and Methodology
The work is arranged according to a distinct combinatorial scheme: forty hadiths related on the authority of forty different teachers, going back to forty different Companions . The author modeled his presentation on the dictation sessions (amali) of his teacher Muhammad al-Sam'ani . For each tradition, al-Ta'i provides:
- A biographical entry (tarjama) for the Companion who narrated the hadith, detailing their name, kunya, lineage, lifespan, date of death, and notable virtues .
- A commentary on the hadith's text (matn), its legal implications (fiqh), and the derived scholarly benefits (fawa'id) .
- An explanation of difficult Arabic vocabulary and grammatical points (gharib) .
- An edifying story or historical anecdote (hikaya) matching the theme of the hadith, followed by selected verses of poetry .
Al-Ta'i noted in his introduction that although he initially intended to follow the convention of opening with the hadith on intentions ("actions are by intentions"), he chose instead to begin with the narration of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq in deference to his precedence in the Quran and Sunnah .
Reception and Standing
The work was widely transmitted by later scholars and earned praise for its scope and multidisciplinary depth . Salah al-Din al-Ala'i characterized it as larger than all preceding collections of forty hadiths and extraordinarily rich in benefits . Ibn al-Sam'ani described it as one of the finest and most pleasant works of its kind, seamlessly integrating hadith, jurisprudence, literature, and homiletic preaching . The method of the collection was subsequently emulated by Jamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Sa'id al-Dubaythi (d. 637 AH) .
Publication
The book was edited by Abd al-Sattar Abu Ghudda and published by Dar al-Basha'ir al-Islamiyya in 1420 AH (1999 CE) as part of the Dafa'in al-Khaza'in series .
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