Tasmiyat al-Ikhwa alladhina ruwiya anhum al-Hadith
- Author died
- 275 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Rayah lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
Tasmiyat al-Ikhwa alladhina ruwiya anhum al-Hadith (Naming the Brothers from Whom Hadith Was Narrated) is a biographical treatise on hadith transmitters by the traditionist Abu Dawud al-Sijistani (202–275 AH / 817–889 CE), devoted to identifying sets of brothers who transmitted prophetic traditions .
Sources and Composition
Abu Dawud states at the beginning of the text that he drew the core material from an autograph manuscript by his teacher Ali ibn al-Madini, which Ibn al-Madini's son had given him, supplementing it with material received directly from Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the genealogist Mus'ab ibn 'Abd Allah al-Zubayri .
The work is also referred to under the title Tasmiyat al-Ikhwa min ahl al-amsar (Naming the Brothers Among the People of the Regional Centers), a heading found at the top of the manuscript's opening folio .
Scope and Method
The work catalogues groups of brothers across successive generations of transmitters, including both Companions of the Prophet and later narrators, arranged according to regions and cities . Entries typically present bare lists of fraternal sets—such as 'Umar and Zayd ibn al-Khattab; 'Ali, Ja'far, and 'Aqil ibn Abi Talib; and the sons of al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib .
In addition to listing names, Abu Dawud occasionally notes who transmitted from a particular figure, consults scholars regarding disputed fraternal relationships, records inquiries put to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and touches upon the theological affiliations of certain transmitters .
Transmission and Manuscripts
The text has been transmitted primarily through Abu Dawud's disciple Abu 'Ubayd al-Ajurri, who narrated it in Jumada al-Ula 325 AH, and downstream through the chain of the traditionist Abu Tahir al-Silafi .
A surviving manuscript is preserved at the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus, written in Maghrebi script across eight folios with approximately 24 lines per page . The treatise has been edited and published by Basim Faysal al-Jawabirah alongside Ali ibn al-Madini's related work on the same subject .
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