Sharh al-Manzuma al-Bayquniyya fi Mustalah al-Hadith
- Author died
- 1421 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Thurayyā lil-Nashr
Sharh al-Manzuma al-Bayquniyya fi Mustalah al-Hadith (Explanation of the Bayquniyya Poem in Hadith Terminology) is a commentary by Ibn Uthaymin (1347–1421 AH / 1929–2001 CE) on the didactic primer on hadith nomenclature composed by Umar (or Taha) ibn Muhammad al-Bayquni al-Dimashqi (d. c. 1080 AH) .
Background and Context
The original text, al-Manzuma al-Bayquniyya, is a concise didactic poem of thirty-four verses composed in the rajaz meter that introduces beginner students to the foundational terminology and classifications of hadith science . Ibn Uthaymin delivered his commentary as an instructional lecture series aimed at explaining the fundamental rules of transmission, narrator criticism, and chain evaluation, and the lectures were preserved across seven audio cassette tapes before being transcribed and published .
Method and Content
Ibn Uthaymin follows the sequential order of the original poem, opening with a grammatical and legal examination of the basmala and the introductory lines before defining each hadith category mentioned in the poem . His commentary addresses the standard divisions of transmission, including sound (sahih), fair (hasan), weak (da'if), elevated (marfu'), truncated (maqtu'), supported (musnad), continuous (muttasil), chained (musal-sal), scarce (aziz), well-known (mashhur), equivocal (mu'an'an), obscure (mubham), high (ali), and low (nazil) chains, as well as forms of discontinuity such as the interrupted (munqati'), expedited (mursal), and problematic (mu'dal) reports .
Throughout the work, Ibn Uthaymin supplements and refines al-Bayquni's concise definitions where he considers them incomplete or imprecise. For example, while the poem groups reports broadly into three primary categories—sound, fair, and weak—Ibn Uthaymin notes that classical verifiers such as Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani refined the division into five distinct classes: sound in itself (sahih li-dhatihi), sound through corroborate corroboration (sahih li-ghayrihi), fair in itself (hasan li-dhatihi), fair through corroboration (hasan li-ghayrihi), and weak (da'if) . He likewise offers critical glosses on al-Bayquni's definition of the fair hadith, providing alternative formulations and practical illustrations for beginning students .
Publication and Reception
The commentary was published as a single volume by Maktabat al-Rushd in Riyadh in 1415 AH (comprising 88 pages), and an edition was also printed in Cairo in the same year . Scholars commended the commentary for its accessibility and clarity; Abdullah ibn Jibreen described it as a concise and exceptionally beneficial work among contemporary commentaries on al-Bayquniyya .
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