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As time passed, more reporters were involved in each isnad, and so the
situation demanded strict discipline in the acceptance of ahadith; the
rules regulating this discipline are known as Mustalah al-hadeeth (the
Classification of hadeeth).
Amongst the early traditionists (muhaddithin, scholars of hadeeth),
the rules and criteria governing their study of hadeeth were meticulous
but some of their terminology varied from person to person, and their
principles began to be systematically written down, but scattered amongst
various books, e.g. in Al-Risalah of al- Shafi'i (d. 204), the Introduction
to the Sahih of Muslim (d. 261) and the Jami' of al-Tirmidhi (d. 279);
many of the criteria of early traditionists, e.g. al-Bukhari, were deduced
by later scholars from a careful study of which reporters or isnads were
accepted and rejected by them.
One of the earliest writings to attempt to cover Mustalah comprehensively,
using standard (i.e. generally-accepted) terminology, was the work by
al-Ramahurmuzi (d. 360). The next major contribution was Ma'rifah 'Ulum
al-hadeeth by al- Hakim (d. 405), which covered fifty classifications
of hadeeth, but still left some points untouched; Abu Nu'aim al-Isbahani
(d. 430) completed some of the missing parts to this work. After that
came Al-Kifayah fi 'Ilm al- Riwayah of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 463)
and another work on the manner of teaching and studying hadeeth; later
scholars were considered to be greatly indebted to al-Khatib's work.
After further contributions by Qadi 'Iyad al- Yahsubi (d. 544) and Abu
Hafs al-Mayanji (d. 580) among others, came the work which, although modest
in size, was so comprehensive in its excellent treatment of the subject
that it came to be the standard reference for thousands of scholars and
students of hadeeth to come, over many centuries until the present day:
'Ulum al- hadeeth of Abu 'Amr 'Uthman Ibn al-Salah (d. 643), commonly
known as Muqaddimah Ibn al-Salah, compiled while he taught in the Dar
al-hadeeth of several cities in Syria. Some of the numerous later works
based on that of Ibn al-Salah are:
- An abridgement of Muqaddimah, Al-Irshad by al- Nawawi (d. 676), which
he later summarised in his Taqrib; al-Suyuti (d. 911) compiled a valuable
commentary on the latter entitled Tadrib al-Rawi.
- Ikhtisar 'Ulum al-hadeeth of Ibn Kathir (d. 774), Al-Khulasah of
al-Tibi (d. 743), Al- Minhal of Badr al-Din b. Jama'ah (d. 733), Al-
Muqni' of Ibn al-Mulaqqin (d. 802) and Mahasin al-Istilah of al-Balqini
(d. 805), all of which are abridgements of Muqaddimah Ibn al- Salah.
- Al-Nukat of al-Zarkashi (d. 794), Al-Taqyid wa 'l-Idah of al-'Iraqi
(d. 806) and Al-Nukat of Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani (d. 852), all of which
are further notes on the points made by Ibn al- Salah.
- Alfiyyah al-hadeeth of al-'Iraqi, a rewriting of Muqaddimah in the
form of a lengthy poem, which became the subject of several commentaries,
including two (one long, one short) by the author himself, Fath al-Mughith
of al-Sakhawi (d. 903), Qatar al-Durar of al- Suyuti and Fath al-Baqi
of Shaykh Zakariyyah al-Ansari (d. 928).
- Al-Iqtirah of Ibn Daqiq al-'Id (d. 702). Tanqih al-Anzar of Muhammad
b. Ibrahim al- Wazir (d. 840), the subject of a commentary by al-Amir
al-San'ani (d. 1182).
- Nukhbah al-Fikr of Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, again the subject of several
commentaries, including one by the author himself, one by his son Muhammad,
and those of 'Ali al-Qari (d. 1014), 'Abd al-Ra'uf al-Munawi (d. 1031)
and Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Hadi al-Sindi (d. 1138). Among those who rephrased
the Nukhbah in poetic form are al-Tufi (d. 893) and al- Amir al-San'ani.
- Alfiyyah al-hadeeth of al-Suyuti, the most comprehensive poetic work
in the field. Al-Manzumah of al-Baiquni, which was expanded upon by,
amongst others, al-Zurqani (d. 1122) and Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan (d.
1307). Qawa'id al-Tahdith of Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi (d. 1332).
- Taujih al-Nazar of Tahir al-Jaza'iri (d. 1338), a summary of al-Hakim's
Ma'rifah.
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