Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Daifa wal-Mawdua wa Atharuha al-Sayyi fi al-Umma

Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Daifa wal-Mawdua wa Atharuha al-Sayyi fi al-Umma (The Series of Weak and Fabricated Hadiths and Their Evil Impact on the Muslim Nation) is a multi-volume critical hadith compilation by the Salafi hadith scholar Nasir al-Din al-Albani (d. 1420 AH / 1999 CE), dedicated to identifying, grading, and critically evaluating unreliable and spurious prophetic reports Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da…+1.

Origin and Purpose

The work originated as a series of regular articles written by al-Albani in the Syrian periodical Majallat al-Tamaddun al-Islami, beginning on 26 Sha'ban 1374 AH (1955 CE) Thabat Muallafat al-Alban…. Five years later, in 1379 AH, he began publishing a companion series dedicated to authentic narrations (Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahiha) Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da…+1.

Al-Albani framed the project as a practical application of his broader program of "purification and cultivation" (al-tasfiya wal-tarbiyya) Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da…. His stated aim was to purify Islamic creed, jurisprudence, and literature—including works of exegesis (tafsir) and heart-softening traditions (raqa'iq)—from fabricated and weak narrations that had gained widespread currency in popular usage and printed literature, which he argued generated doctrinal errors and unlawful religious innovations (bida') Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da…+1.

Structure and Method

The work is arranged in sequential volumes, each generally comprising five hundred individually numbered primary hadiths Thabat Muallafat al-Alban…+1. For each entry, al-Albani cites the text of the narration, delivers a summary verdict—such as "fabricated" (mawdu'), "weak" (da'if), "very weak" (da'if jiddan), or "denounced" (munkar)—and provides an extensive transmission-critical analysis (takhrij) Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da…+1. His evaluations trace multiple paths of transmission (turuq), scrutinize narrators according to classical biographical evaluation (al-jarh wal-ta'dil), and frequently cite early authorities such as al-Bukhari, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Yahya ibn Ma'in, and Abu Hatim al-Razi Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da….

In addition to evaluating the target chains, the commentary regularly incorporates authentic alternative narrations (al-badil al-sahih) to replace flawed reports, reports from the early generations (athar), and detailed juristic and theological discussions Thabat Muallafat al-Alban…+1. The introductions and commentary sections also feature polemical responses to various intellectual and theological opponents, including contemporary Sufi figures such as Abd Allah al-Ghumari, as well as critical examinations of narrations cited in Shi'ite polemical works such as al-Muraja'at Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da…+1.

Publication and Posthumous Volumes

The work expanded over several decades and was issued in multiple editions. Early volumes were published in Damascus and Beirut under the supervision of Zuhayr al-Shawish, though wartime disruptions in Lebanon caused printing delays for subsequent volumes Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da…. A comprehensive edition of the series was later published in Riyadh by Maktabat al-Ma'arif across fourteen volumes, with several volumes divided into multiple physical parts Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da….

While al-Albani revised and finalized the early volumes during his lifetime, later volumes—beginning with Volume 8—were prepared for publication from his handwritten drafts and manuscripts by students and editors without his final personal review Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da…. In certain posthumous volumes where al-Albani had analyzed transmission lines without supplying an explicit opening verdict, editors assigned grades derived from his textual discussions Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da…+1. During his final illness, al-Albani dictated portions of his research to family members and students, extending the work through Volume 14 (hadiths 6,501–7,000) and reaching hadith 7,162 at the beginning of an unfinished fifteenth volume Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da….