Kitab al-Arbain fi Sifat Rabb al-Alamin
- Author died
- 748 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-ʿUlūm wa-al-Ḥikam
Kitab al-Arba'in fi Sifat Rabb al-Alamin (The Book of Forty [Hadiths] on the Attributes of the Lord of the Worlds) is a theological hadith treatise compiled by the Damascene historian and traditionist Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (673–748 AH / 1274–1348 CE) . The work belongs to the traditional forty-hadith genre (arba'iniyyat), specifically dedicated to prophetic narrations establishing and affirming divine attributes (sifat Allah) .
Scope and Content
The treatise compiles forty hadiths addressing the divine attributes of God, followed by reports transmitted from the early generations (salaf) regarding their doctrinal understanding and affirmation . It stands alongside other specialized forty-hadith compilations on creed, such as Abu Ismail al-Harawi's al-Arba'in fi Dala'il al-Tawhid . Al-Dhahabi composed the book in accordance with the traditional method of the scholars of hadith (ahl al-hadith), relying on textual evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah rather than speculative theological argument .
Method and Cross-References
Throughout the text, al-Dhahabi evaluates transmission chains and offers critical commentary on specific historical and theological reports. For example, he analyzes and authenticates the chain of transmission for the debate between Ishaq ibn Rahwayh and the Jahmi polemicist Ibrahim ibn Abi Salih before the governor Abdullah ibn Tahir .
Al-Dhahabi also cross-references other works of his within the treatise; he cites his monograph Turuq Ahadith al-Nuzul (The Transmission Paths of the Hadiths of Divine Descent) . Furthermore, textual annotations in his work Kitab al-Arsh directly correspond with his discussions in Kitab al-Arba'in fi Sifat Rabb al-Alamin and his major treatise al-Uluw li-l-Aliyy al-Ghaffar .
Manuscripts and Printed Editions
A manuscript copy of the work is preserved in the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus under collection number 3748 'Amm (Majami' al-Umariyya 11) .
The treatise has been published in several modern critical editions:
- Edited by Jasim Sulayman al-Dawsari and published by al-Dar al-Salafiyya in Kuwait (1408 AH / 1988 CE) within a compilation of al-Dhahabi's short treatises .
- Edited by Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad 'Ata Sufi and published by Maktabat al-Ulum wa-l-Hikam in Medina (1413 AH / 1993 CE) .
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