Mawsuat Bayt al-Maqdis wa Bilad al-Sham al-Hadithiyya
- Author died
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- Editions
- Markaz Bayt al-Maqdis lil-Dirasat al-Tawthiqiyyah
Mawsuat Bayt al-Maqdis wa Bilad al-Sham al-Hadithiyya (The Hadith Encyclopedia of Jerusalem and the Levant) is a specialized hadith compendium compiled by Ahmad ibn Sulayman ibn Ayyub, focused on gathering and critically evaluating prophetic narrations and reports concerning Jerusalem, al-Masjid al-Aqsa, and Bilad al-Sham.
Objectives
The work was composed to fulfill several distinct scholarly and religious aims:
- Clarifying the religious significance and merits of Jerusalem as stated by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
- Purifying the textual heritage pertaining to Jerusalem by distinguishing sound traditions (sahih) from weak or spurious ones (da'if).
- Serving as a comprehensive reference work for researchers, students of Islamic sciences, and preachers.
- Fostering attachment and awareness regarding Jerusalem and its sacred precincts among Muslims.
Methodology and Sources
The author structured the compilation according to a systematic methodology outlined in the introduction:
- Quranic Exegesis: Gathering the Quranic verses related to Jerusalem and Bilad al-Sham, accompanied by hadiths and traditions (athar) explaining them.
- Comprehensive Sourcing: Collecting relevant traditions found across printed works of the Sunna, as well as extracting material from accessible manuscript treatises devoted to Bilad al-Sham and al-Masjid al-Aqsa.
- Critical Evaluation: Assessing every narration and historical report in accordance with the established rules of hadith criticism. The author classifies traditions into accepted (maqbul)—comprising sahih li-dhatihi, sahih li-ghayrihi, hasan li-dhatihi, and hasan li-ghayrihi—and rejected (mardud / da'if), detailing specific defects such as poor retention (shadhdh, munkar, wahm, mudtarib) or chains containing transmission breaks (mursal, mu'dal).
Structure and Content
The work includes thematic sections such as Kitab Bayt al-Maqdis, which covers topographical, linguistic, and historical aspects of the holy sites. This includes discussions on the classical designations of al-Masjid al-Aqsa (such as Masjid Iliya, Bayt al-Maqdis, and al-Bayt al-Muqaddas), drawing upon explanations from classical lexicographers, commentators, and scholars, including Abu Ubayd al-Bakri, Ibn al-Athir, al-Wahidi, and Abu Ali al-Maqdisi.
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