Kitabat al-Hadith fi Ahd al-Nabi wa Sahabatihi wa Atharuha fi Hifz al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya
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- King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Medina
Kitabat al-Hadith fi Ahd al-Nabi wa Sahabatihi wa Atharuha fi Hifz al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya (Writing Hadith in the Era of the Prophet and His Companions and Its Impact on Preserving the Prophetic Sunna) is a research treatise by Ahmad ibn Mabad Abd al-Karim devoted to demonstrating the practice and role of recording Hadith in writing during the earliest period of Islam .
Purpose and Scope
The treatise addresses the preservation of the prophetic Sunna across three simultaneous and integrated dimensions: memorization in the heart (hifz al-sudur), written recording (hifz al-sutur), and practical implementation (hifz al-tatbiq al-amali) . Abd al-Karim focuses on the second dimension—written recording—arguing that modern Eastern and Orientalist researchers have often overlooked or misunderstood the historical reality of early writing, leading to unfounded criticisms regarding the late compilation of Hadith and claims of widespread fabrication . He presents his study as a contribution alongside modern works defending the Sunna, such as those by Abd al-Rahman ibn Yahya al-Muallimi, Muhammad Ajjaj al-Khatib, and Muhammad Mustafa al-Azami .
Content and Arguments
The author begins with a preliminary discussion on how oral memory among the early Arabs functioned as an extraordinary instrument of preservation, arguing that the divine guarantee to protect the Quran necessarily entailed preserving the Sunna as its authoritative, infallible explanation . He illustrates the power of oral retention with historical reports, such as Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri taking temporary notes while studying with Abd al-Rahman ibn Hurmuz al-Araj and then destroying or erasing them once memorized .
The study is structured around several core themes:
- Prophetic Permission and Written Recording: The author demonstrates that the Prophet allowed and utilized writing on available materials—such as bones, leather, and parchment—provided it was distinguished from the written Quran and served to preserve or transmit teachings . He cites hadiths permitting writing, including reports from Rafi ibn Khadij, Anas ibn Malik, and Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As, such as the Prophet's instruction: اكتب فوالذي نفسي بيده ما يخرج منه إلا حق ("Write, for by Him in Whose hand is my soul, nothing comes out of it except truth") .
- Evaluation of Chains and Critical Responses: Abd al-Karim engages in isnad analysis, arguing that corroborating paths elevate narrations permitting writing to the rank of sound (sahih li-ghayrihi) or fair (hasan) . In doing so, he refutes the position of Muhammad Rashid Rida in Majallat al-Manar, who had weakened certain chains of these narrations .
- Oral Memory versus Written Records among Companions: Comparing Abu Hurayra and Abd Allah ibn Amr, the work highlights that Abu Hurayra relied purely on memory—transmitted 5,374 narrations, and was aided by the Prophet's special supplication—while Abd Allah ibn Amr combined memorization with writing and transmitted around 700 narrations or fewer .
- Companions' Written Documents: The treatise surveys physical compilations preserved by the Companions, focusing notably on Abd Allah ibn Amr's personal manuscript known as al-Sahifa al-Sadiqa, which he kept in a locked chest and read from directly .
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