Maalim al-Din min Ahadith al-Sadiq al-Amin
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dār Mashāriq al-Anwār lil-Baḥth al-ʻIlmī
Maalim al-Din min Ahadith al-Sadiq al-Amin (Landmarks of the Religion from the Traditions of the Truthful and Trustworthy) is a compilation of prophetic hadiths by the contemporary author Muhammad Muhibb al-Din Abu Zayd, gathering foundational narrations that clarify the creed, legal rulings, and ethics of Islam .
Composition and Purpose
Abu Zayd completed the composition of the book on Monday, 11 Safar 1434 AH (24 December 2012 CE) . Its first edition was published in 1434 AH (2013 CE) by Dar Mashariq al-Anwar .
The author stated that he compiled these authentic narrations in emulation of the prophetic exhortation to preserve and convey hadith, aiming to gather comprehensive traditions on the fundamentals of religion, legal rulings, asceticism (zuhd), remembrance (dhikr), and manners (adab) . He noted that he wrote the work to counter the widespread lack of religious knowledge among contemporary Muslims, observing that many individuals achieve high secular degrees and offices while remaining ignorant of essential religious duties .
Methodology and Sources
Abu Zayd selected the majority of the hadiths from traditional forty-hadith (arba'inat) collections, though he noted that hadith masters agree on the weakness of the narration concerning the memorization of forty hadiths . Among the primary collections he drew from were works by:
- Muhammad ibn Aslam al-Tusi (d. 242 AH)
- al-Hasan ibn Sufyan al-Nasawi (d. 303 AH)
- Abu Bakr al-Ajurri (d. 360 AH)
- Ibn al-Muqri (d. 381 AH)
- Musafir ibn Muhammad al-Dimashqi (d. 420 AH)
- Abu Bakr al-Bayhaqi (d. 458 AH), through al-Arba'un al-Sughra
- Abu Isma'il al-Harawi (d. 481 AH), through al-Arba'un fi Dala'il al-Tawhid
- al-Qasim ibn al-Fadl al-Thaqafi al-Isbahani (d. 489 AH)
- Abu Sa'd Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Naysaburi (d. 548 AH)
- Abu al-Futuh Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ta'i (d. 555 AH)
- 'Abd al-Razzaq ibn 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (d. 595 AH)
- 'Ali ibn al-Mufaddal al-Maqdisi (d. 611 AH)
- Sadr al-Din al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Bakri (d. 656 AH)
- al-Mundhiri (d. 656 AH), through al-Arba'un fi al-Ahkam
- al-Nawawi (d. 676 AH)
- al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH), through al-Arba'un fi Sifat Rabb al-'Alamin
- Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH)
In addition to these selections, the author incorporated further narrations that he deemed essential . He also provided concise glosses for difficult terms (gharib) and brief explanatory comments on the hadiths . For his commentary, he relied on major classical and contemporary references, including al-Khattabi's Ma'alim al-Sunan, Ibn 'Abd al-Barr's al-Tamhid, Ibn Battal's commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, Ibn al-Jawzi's Kashf al-Mushkil, Ibn al-Athir's al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith, al-Nawawi's commentary on Sahih Muslim, Ibn Daqiq al-'Id's commentary on the Arba'in, Ibn Rajab's Jami' al-'Ulum wa-l-Hikam, Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani's Fath al-Bari, Badr al-Din al-'Ayni's 'Umdat al-Qari, al-Munawi's Fayd al-Qadir, al-Mulla 'Ali al-Qari's Mirqat al-Mafatih, al-Fayyumi's al-Misbah al-Munir, al-Murtada al-Zabidi's Taj al-'Arus, Ibn 'Uthaymin's Sharh al-Arba'in, and 'Abd al-Muhsin al-'Abbad's Fath al-Qawi al-Matin .
Structure
The book is arranged as follows:
- An introductory treatise summarizing the theological creed ('aqidah) and general legal principles of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah, drawn from classical Sunni creeds .
- The main body containing the selected hadiths accompanied by vocabulary definitions and concise commentary .
- An appendix at the end of the volume featuring al-Qasidah al-Ha'iyyah fi Usul al-Sunnah, a didactic poem on creed by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud al-Sijistani .
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