Takhrij Ahadith Fadail al-Sham wa Dimashq li Abi al-Hasan al-Rabai
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Maʿārif lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ
Takhrij Ahadith Fadail al-Sham wa Dimashq li Abi al-Hasan al-Rabai (Verification of the Hadiths on the Virtues of the Levant and Damascus by Abu al-Hasan al-Rabai) is a treatise of hadith criticism by Nasir al-Din al-Albani (d. 1420 AH / 1999 CE) evaluating the prophetic traditions collected in the 5th-century work Fadail al-Sham wa Dimashq by Abu al-Hasan al-Rabai (d. 444 AH) .
Background and Purpose
The origin of the work dates back to the publication of al-Rabai's classical text by the Arab Scientific Academy in Damascus in 1370 AH / 1950 CE, edited by Salah al-Din al-Munajjid . Al-Albani prepared appendices for that edition, including a critical verification (takhrij) of the traditions attributed directly to the Prophet ﷺ (marfu' traditions) . He subsequently extracted those prophetic hadiths along with his critique into an independent treatise, stripping out the lengthy chains of transmission (isnad) to make the material accessible to general readers .
Al-Albani's stated purpose was to counter the misconception held by some contemporary writers that no authentic hadiths exist concerning the virtues of al-Sham (the Levant), and to remind residents of the region to respond to such divine favor with righteous deeds and sincere worship, citing Salman al-Farisi's remark that land does not sanctify anyone, but rather righteous action sanctifies a person . The introduction to the first edition was signed in Damascus on 3 Rajab 1379 AH .
Structure and Methodology
In his prefatory survey of al-Rabai's original collection, al-Albani noted that it contains a total of 119 reports divided into three categories :
- Marfu' hadiths (attributed to the Prophet ﷺ): 41 reports (including repetitions), of which most are authentic (sahih), while some are weak (da'if) or fabricated (mawdu') .
- Mawquf reports (halted at Companions, Successors, or later figures): 47 reports, the vast majority of which have unverified chains resting on obscure (majahil) or weak narrators .
- Isra'iliyyat (Biblical and non-canonical lore): 31 reports, most revolving around Ka'b al-Ahbar—none of whose transmission chains in the book are sound—with the remainder transmitted from figures such as Abd Allah ibn Salam, Abd Allah ibn Abbas, and Abd al-Rahman ibn 'A'ish al-Hadrami, including rare chains tracing back to a Greek informant .
The body of the treatise focuses exclusively on the marfu' traditions, providing rigorous evaluations of their transmission paths, supporting witnesses (shawahid), and textual variations . Al-Albani evaluates famous traditions, such as the blessing of the angels over al-Sham and the Levant serving as a refuge during tribulations, while critically distinguishing sound wordings from rejected additions . The work also engages with earlier and contemporary scholarship, correcting gradings by classical figures such as al-Hakim and al-Dhahabi, and debating Salah al-Din al-Munajjid on questions of textual criticism (naqd al-matn) and judgments of fabrication .
Editions and Revisions
Following several reprintings of the original text, al-Albani produced an expanded and revised edition . In this edition, he incorporated new critical findings and expanded references from primary hadith sources that had recently become available in print or photographic manuscripts, relying substantially on Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir .
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