Mukhtasar al-Kamil fi al-Duafa
- Author died
- 845 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Sunnah
Mukhtasar al-Kamil fi al-Du'afa ("Abridgment of the Complete Work on Weak Narrators") is a biographical evaluation treatise by the Egyptian historian and scholar al-Maqrizi (d. 845 AH / 1441 CE), abridging al-Kamil fi Ma'rifat Du'afa' al-Muhaddithin by Ibn Adi (d. 365 AH / 976 CE) .
Composition and Purpose
Al-Maqrizi compiled the work as a streamlined summary of Ibn Adi's biographical dictionary of weak and criticized hadith transmitters . In his introduction, al-Maqrizi explained that because Ibn Adi had filled his original text with extensive transmission chains (asānīd), he intended to summarize what had been stated regarding the narrators in a concise manner . He appears to have prepared the abridgment while teaching hadith at the Sultan Hasan Madrasa in Cairo, subsequently utilizing it when tasked with teaching hadith at al-Madrasa al-Mu'ayyadiyya . Al-Maqrizi also referenced this abridgment in his work Imta' al-Asma' .
Method
In abridging the original source, al-Maqrizi focused on condensing the critical evaluations (jarḥ wa-taʿdīl) of the transmitters while paring down extraneous material . He omitted the hadith defects (ʿilal) unless they were specifically needed, and eliminated the transmission chains unless their inclusion was strictly necessary .
Manuscripts and Publication
An autograph manuscript copied in al-Maqrizi's own hand is preserved in Istanbul at the Murad Mulla Library (MS 569), consisting of 315 folios and dated 795 AH (with another source citing the date as 759 AH); it represents an early specimen of his handwriting . A microfilm reproduction of this copy is housed at the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts in Cairo (No. 456, History) .
The book was edited by Ayman ibn 'Arif al-Dimashqi under the title Mukhtasar al-Kamil fi al-Du'afa wa-'Ilal al-Hadith and published in a single volume by Maktabat al-Sunna in Cairo in 1415 AH / 1994 CE .
Answer updated