Mujam Ashab al-Qadi Abi Ali al-Sadafi
- Author died
- 658 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Thaqafah al-Diniyyah
Mujam Ashab al-Qadi Abi Ali al-Sadafi (The Biographical Dictionary of the Companions of Judge Abu Ali al-Sadafi) is a biographical dictionary authored by the Andalusian scholar Ibn al-Abbar (595–658 AH / 1199–1260 CE) . The work is dedicated to documenting the biographies of the students, companions, and transmitters who studied under the Andalusian hadith master and judge Abu Ali al-Sadafi (454–514 AH / 1062–1120 CE) .
Composition and Purpose
The work was composed as a companion and continuation to an earlier compilation by Qadi Iyad (d. 544 AH) . While Qadi Iyad had dedicated a biographical dictionary to the teachers of Abu Ali al-Sadafi—numbering around two hundred shaykhs—Ibn al-Abbar sought to emulate his predecessor by gathering the names and backgrounds of those who transmitted from al-Sadafi instead . In his introduction, Ibn al-Abbar notes that his entries cover regular students, casual associates, and even select elder teachers who transmitted from al-Sadafi due to his exceptional standing and trustworthiness .
Ibn al-Abbar composed the work in Valencia and made subsequent additions after leaving the city, as evidenced by his prayer for Valencia's restoration («جبرها الله») in the entry of Yaqub ibn Hammad al-Aghmati . It was written after his biographical work al-Takmilah li-Kitab al-Silah, which is cross-referenced within the text .
Structure and Scope
The dictionary contains 315 biographical entries covering major hadith transmitters and scholars across various disciplines . The names are arranged alphabetically according to the western Andalusian and Maghrebi alphabetical order, featuring occasional intentional sequence choices such as placing the name Ahmad before Ibrahim .
At the end of each alphabetical letter, Ibn al-Abbar explicitly tallies the number of individuals listed . When an alphabetical section contains no eligible figures, he expressly notes the absence of well-known or prolific transmitters under that letter (such as under the letters dāl and dhāl) . Alongside native Andalusian scholars, the collection documents foreign travelers and visiting scholars who entered al-Andalus or met al-Sadafi, including Abu al-Qasim al-Nafti (known as Ibn al-Saigh), Umar ibn Ahmad al-Tawzari, and Ali ibn Abd Allah al-Lammai al-Malti .
Method
The length of individual biographies varies, ranging from a few lines to approximately a page and a half . In compiling entries, Ibn al-Abbar adheres to a precise methodology:
- Precise recording of personal names, titles, lineages, and birth dates, including explanations of non-Arabic names .
- Specification of the geographic origins and hometowns of the subjects .
- Documentation of each subject's teachers, students, and written works .
- Inclusion of hadiths transmitted through the subject from al-Sadafi with an unbroken chain of transmission (isnad) reaching the Prophet ﷺ, often highlighting instances of elevated transmission (uluww) .
Editions
The work was first edited and published in Madrid in 1886 by the Spanish Orientalist Francisco Codera as part of the Bibliotheca Arabico-Hispana series, and later reprinted via offset in Baghdad by Maktabat al-Muthanna . It was published in Cairo by Dar al-Katib al-Arabi in 1387 AH / 1967 CE (and reissued by Dar Sadir in 1985) . Another edition, edited by Ibrahim al-Ibyari, was published jointly by Dar al-Kitab al-Misri in Cairo and Dar al-Kitab al-Lubnani in Beirut in 1410 AH / 1989–1990 CE, and reprinted in Cairo by Maktabat al-Thaqafah al-Diniyyah in 1420 AH / 2000 CE .
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