Al-Kutub al-Sittah

Ibn Khuzaymah
Muslim
 
scholar
Ibn Khuzaymah
Title
Imām al-aʼimmah (ﻡﺎﻣﺇ
ﺔﻤﺋﻷﺍ
)
Al-Hafiz
Al-Hujjah
Born
Safar 223 AH
Nishapur
Died
2 Dhu al-Qi'dah 311 AH
Maddhab
Shafi'i
Main interests Hadith, Fiqh
Works
Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah
Influences
Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh
Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah (Arabic: ﺔﻤﻳﺰﺧ ﻦﺑ ﻕﺎﺤﺳﺇ ﻦﺑ ﺪﻤﺤﻣ ﺮﻜﺑ ﻮﺑﺃ, 837 CE/223 AH
[1]
 –
923 CE/311 AH
[1]
) was a prominent Muslim hadith and Shafi'i fiqh scholar best known for his hadith collection,
Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah.
Biography
He was born in Nishapur a year earlier than Ibn Jarir al-Tabari and outlived him by one year. In Nishapur, he studied
under its scholars, including Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh (died 238 AH), the muhaddith of Khorasan at the time.
[1]
Works
Al-Hakim recorded that Ibn Khuzaymah wrote more than 140 books.
[1] 
Little of what he wrote survives today:
[1]
• Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah : mukhtaṣar al-Mukhtaṣar min al-musnad al-Ṣaḥīḥ (ﺔﻤﻳﺰﺧ ﻦﺑ ﺢﻴﺤﺻ : ﺪﻨﺴﻤﻟﺍ ﻦﻣ ﺮﺼﺘﺨﻤﻟﺍ ﺮﺼﺘﺨﻣ
ﺢﻴﺤﺼﻟﺍ
): Only one fourth of the book survived.
• Kitāb al-Tawḥīd wa-ithbāt ṣifāt al-Rabb ʻazza wa-jall (ﻞﺟﻭ ﺰﻋ ﺏﺮﻟﺍ ﺕﺎﻔﺻ ﺕﺎﺒﺛﺇﻭ ﺪﻴﺣﻮﺘﻟﺍ ﺏﺎﺘﮐ): "The Book of the
Affirmation of Divine Unity and the Affirmation of the Attributes of the Lord"
• Shaʼn al-duʻāʼ wa-tafsīr al-adʻīyah al-maʼthūrah (ﺓﺭﻮﺛﺄﻤﻟﺍ ﺔﻴﻋﺩﻷﺍ ﺮﻴﺴﻔﺗﻭ ءﺎﻋﺪﻟﺍ ﻥﺄﺷ)
References
[1] Ibn Khuzaymah, Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq (1988), Shahwān, ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz ibn Ibrāhīm, ed., Kitāb al-Tawḥīd wa-ithbāt ṣifāt al-Rabb ʻazza
wa-jall, Dār al-Rushd, pp. 25–35

Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih
44
Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih
Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih is perhaps one of the earliest known hadith collections,
[1] 
by 8th century scholar
Hammam ibn Munabbih. It has been translated, in the 20th century, by Muhammad Hamidullah.
References
[1] http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
islamic-awareness.
 
org/
 
Hadith/
 
hadith.
 
html
http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
islamic-awareness.
 
org/
 
Hadith/
 
hadith.
 
html

Hammam ibn Munabbih
45
Hammam ibn Munabbih
Hammam ibn Munabbih
Died
132 AH/750 CE[1]
Era
Medieval era
Region  scholar
Hammam ibn Munabbih (Arabic: ﻪﺒﻨﻣ ﻦﺑ ﻡﺎﻤﻫ) (d. 132/750) was an Islamic scholar, from among the Tabi‘in and
one of the narrators of hadith.
Biography
He was the son of Munabbih ibn Kamil, and Wahb ibn Munabbih was his brother.
Works
• Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih was one of the 9 students of Abu Hurairah. Abu Hurairah used to narrate the
hadith he heard from the Prophet to his 9 students. Out of all 9 students, only Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih's
book has survived in manuscript form. It was later edited and published by Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah in 1961
in Hyderabad, India, Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih and is generally regarded as the earliest known hadith
collections
[2]
References
[1]
[1] Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib
[2] Are There Any Early Hadiths? (http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
islamic-awareness.
 
org/
 
Hadith/
 
hadith.
 
html)

Musannaf ibn Jurayj
46
Musannaf ibn Jurayj
Musannaf of ibn Jurayj is a book by Islamic scholar ibn Jurayj, one of the earliest hadith collections.
References
Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq
The Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq is a very early book of Hadith that was collected by ‘Abd ar-Razzaq as-San‘ani. It
not only contains a huge number of hadith attributed directly to Muhammad, but also from the Sahaba and early
Muslim scholars. The title roughly means "The Categorized", which suggests the nature of this hadith collection, as
it is arranged according to categories of Fiqh.
[1]
History behind this Book
The book of Hafiz Al-San'ani, Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq was lost and mixed up with other books, and could not be
differentiated for almost 1100 years until it was arranged and edited by the great Indian Scholar Muhaddith-e-Kabir
Hazrat Maulana Habib al-Rahman al-Azmi (Rahmatullah Alaih). Maulana Habib al-Rahman who has worked on
numerous books of Ahadith was famous for his vast knowledge of the hadith. It took him almost 20 years to
complete this great historical work for which he is a insanely loved and respected person among the scholars around
the world. The book was published in Beirut.
Sources
The hadith in the Musannaf come mainly from three people: Ma'mar Ibn Rashid (d. AD 770), Ibn Jurayj, and Sufyan
al-Thawri. There are also relatively small numbers of hadith from Sufyan Ibn 'Uyayna, Abu Hanifa, and Malik Ibn
Anas among a large number of other people. Most of them are said to have been compilers of hadith books in their
own right.
Reliability
An article by Harald Motzki appeared in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies that mentioned the Musannaf of `Abd
al-Razzaq al-San`ani as a source of authentic ahadith of the first century AH. The conclusion of the author was,
"While studying the Musannaf of `Abd al-Razzaq, I came to the conclusion that the theory championed by
Goldziher, Schacht, and in their footsteps, many others – myself included – which in general, reject hadith literature
as a historically reliable sources for the first century AH, deprives the historical study of early Islam of an important
and a useful type of source."
[2]
Notes
[1] "Scholar of Renown: Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Sanaani, Adil Salahi" (http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
aljazeerah.
 
info/
 
Islam/
 
Islamic subjects/
 
2004 subjects/
January/
 
Scholar of RenownAbd AlRazzaq AlSanaani, Adil Salahi.
 
htm). Aljazeerah.info. . Retrieved 2010-06-13.
[2] Motzki, H.; "The Musannaf Of `Abd al-Razzaq Al-San`ani As A Source of Authentic Ahadith of The First Century A.H.", Journal Of Near
Eastern Studies, 1991, Volume 50, p. 21.

Abd ar-Razzaq as-Sanani
47
‘Abd ar-Razzaq as-San‘ani
‘Abd ar-Razzaq as-San‘ani
Born
126 AH /744 CE [1]
Died
211 AH Shawwal [1]
Era
Medieval era
Region Yamani scholar
School Sunni
‘Abd ar-Razzaq as-San‘ani (126 AH – 211 AH) was a Sunni Islamic scholar of the Science of hadith.
Name
‘Abd al-Razzaq ibn Hammam ibn Nafi’ al-San'ani (prounounced as ‘Abd ar-Razzaq ibn Hammam ibn Nafi’
as-Sana’ni)
Biography
He lived in San‘a, the capital of Yemen. His pursuit of studies also included travels to Mecca, Medina, Syria and
Iraq, where he studied under many scholars in all these cities.
Scholasticism
Imam Bukhari says: “When Abd Al-Razzaq reports hadiths reading from what he had written, then what he reports is
more authentic.” This means that Al-Bukhari would accept hadiths reported by Abd Al-Razzaq as authentic when he
is aware that he was reading from his book. If he was reporting from memory, then Al-Bukhari would want some
corroboration to classify the reported hadith as authentic. Imam Ahmad says: “We visited Abd Al-Razzaq before the
year 200, when he still enjoyed a good eyesight. Anyone who attended Abd Al-Razzaq’s circle after he had lost his
eyesight may be classified as poor in authenticity.”
Works
•• Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq
• Tafsir book that was included in Mustadrak al-Hakem
References
[1] www.islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=55594

Sahih Ibn Hibbaan
48
Sahih Ibn Hibbaan
Sahih Ibn Hibbaan
Author(s) Muhammad ibn Hibban ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi al-Busti
Language Arabic
Subject(s) hadith
Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (ﻥﺎﺒﺣ ﻦﺑﺍ ﺢﻴﺤﺻ) is a collection of hadith by Sunni scholar Ibn Hibban. It has the distinction of being
one of small number of collections intended by the respective authors to contain only authentic hadith. The author of
this Sahih is Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Hibban ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi al-Busti
(ar)
, from Bust in Khorasan. He was a
prominent Shafi'i hadith specialist and prolific author who died in 965 CE.
[1]
Overview
The actual name of this collection is al-Taqasim wa al-Anwa`, however, it is commonly referred to as Sahih ibn
Hibban. The author utilized an innovative method in the arrangement of this work as it is not arranged in topical
chapters nor is it based upon a musnad arrangement and is therefore difficult to navigate.
[1] 
Instead, it was arranged
first by bab, or chapter, and then under each chapter, by naw`, or type. The book opens with a lengthy
introduction.
[2]
The Sahih remains in its entirety as of the late Nineteenth Century or early Twentieth Century, according to
al-Kattani, who died in 1926.
[1]
Authenticity
According to al-Kattani, "it has been said that Ibn Hibban, after ibn Khuzaymah, authored the most authentic hadith
collection, after Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim".
[1] 
However, al-Suyuti spoke more definitively when saying that
Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah was the most authentic collection after Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, followed by Sahih
Ibn Hibban which, in turn, was more authentic than Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain.
[3] 
This means that Sahih Ibn
Hibban is the fourth most authentic hadith collection.
Derivative Works
al-Ihsan
Ali ibn Balban (d. 739/1339) rearranged the hadith chapters of Sahih Ibn Hibban according to the topics of
jurisprudence and published them as al-Ihsan fi Taqrib Sahih Ibn Hibban.
[1]
Mawarid al-Zam'an
The unique hadith it contains, those not found in either Sahih Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, are arranged in the order of
jurisprudence headings in the book Mawarid al-Zam'an ila Zawa'id Ibn Hibban by Ali ibn Abu Bakr al-Haythami (d.
807/1405).
[1]

Sahih Ibn Hibbaan
49
References
[1] Al-Risalah al-Mustatrafah., by al-Kattani, pg. 20-1, Dar al-Basha'ir al-Islamiyyah, seventh edition, 2007.
[2] Bustan al-Muhaddithin, by 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Dihlawi, pg. 90, Dar al-Gharab al-Islami, Beirut, first edition, 2002.
[3] Tadrib al-Rawi, vol. 1, pg. 148, Dar al-'Asimah, Riyadh, first edition, 2003.
Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain
Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain (Arabic: ﻦﻴﺤﻴﺤﺼﻟﺍ ﻰﻠﻋ ﻙﺭﺪﺘﺴﻤﻟﺍ; Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahîhayn) is a five volume
hadith collection written by Hakim al-Nishaburi d. 405H.
History
He wrote it in the year 393 AH (1002–1003 CE), when he was 72 years old. It contains 9045 hadith.
[1] 
He claimed
all hadith in it were authentic according to the conditions of either Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim or both.
[2]
Authenticity
The statement of authenticity was not accepted by a number of prominent later Sunni scholars. Al-Dhahabi, a 14th
century Sunni Shafi'i Islamic scholar made an abridged version of the collection named Talkhis al-Mustadrak where
he commented on its authenticity. It has become the habit of scholars today working in the field of hadîth, when
compiling them and determining their authenticity, to say things like "It is authenticated by al-Hâkim and al-Dhahabî
concurs". In doing so, they are referring to al-Dhahabi's Talkhîs, his abridgement of the Mustadrak that is often
published along with it in its margins.
[3]
Dhahabi also wrote:
[4]
The Mustadrak contains a good number of hadîth that conform to the conditions of authenticity of both
(al-Bukhârî and Muslim) as well as a number of hadîth conforming to the conditions of either one of
them. Perhaps the total number of such hadîth comprises half the book. There is roughly another quarter
of the hadîth that have authentic chains of transmission, but that have something else about them or that
have some defect. As for the rest, and that is about a fourth, they are rejected and spurious narrations
that are unauthentic. Some of those are fabrications. I came to know of them when I prepared an
abridgement of the Mustadrak and pointed them out.
al-Dhahabi lamented:
It would have been better if al-Hakim had never compiled it."
[5]
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, a 15th century Sunni Islamic scholar states that Mawdu'at al-Kubra is as unreliable in its
attributing the grade of being "forged" to certain ahadith as al-Hakim's Mustadrak is unreliable in its declaring the
grade of "sound" or Sahih to many ahadith.
[6]
Abridgment
Talkhis al-Mustadrak' is an abridged version of Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain, written by Al-Dhahabi. al-Dhahabi
in his Talkhis al-Mustadrak made an abridged version (a version with omitted material of the collection where he
commented on its claimed authenticity). In that version, he added his comments on 1182 hadith. Al-Dhahabî in his
encyclopedic Târikh al-Islam "The History of Islam" says the following in his biographical entry on al-Hâkim,
wherein he speaks about his Mustadrak: "Some of those are fabrications. I came to know of them when I prepared an
abridgement of the Mustadrak and pointed them out." al-Dhahabî said of it:
[7] 
"|It is a useful book. I had made an
abridgement of it that is in considerable need of work and editing."

Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain
50
On at least three other occasions, al-Dhahabi citicised hadith he had not commented on in his Talkhîs. For example,
when speaking about Mu`âwiyah b. Sâlih,
[8] 
he writes: "He is among those narrators whom Muslim accepts but not
al-Bukhârî. You can see al-Hâkim relating this narrator's hadîth in his Mustadrak and say: 'This is according to the
conditions of al-Bukhârî.' He repeatedly makes this mistake." However, when the same statement comes up in his
Talkhîs, he says nothing about it .
There have been many prominent scholars who have assumed that al-Dhahabî's silence in his Talkhîs indicates his
tacit approval of al-Hâkim's ruling, scholars of the caliber of al-Suyuti in al-Nukat al-Badî`ât (197) (15th century
CE), al-Manâwî in Fayd al-Qadîr, and al-Husaynî in al-Bayân wa al-Ta`rîf. Many contemporary scholars follow this
view as well, but some question that stance.
References
[1] These figures are taken from the editorial introduction of Ibn al-Mulaqqin's Mukhtasar Istidrâk al-Dhahabî, 8–9 (http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
islamtoday.
net/
 
/
 
english/
 
show_detail_section.
 
cfm?q_id=839&
 
main_cat_id=11)
[2] arshad. "Major Collections of Hadith" (http:/
 
/
 
members.
 
cox.
 
net/
 
arshad/
 
hadithcol.
 
html). Members.cox.net. . Retrieved 2010-06-10.
[3] "Al-Hakim’s Mustadrak & al-Dhahabî’s Talkhis" (http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
islamtoday.
 
net/
 
english/
 
show_detail_section.
 
cfm?q_id=839&
main_cat_id=11). IslamToday. .
[4] in his biographical encyclopedia entitled Siyar A`lâm al-Nubalâ' "Biographies of Outstanding Personalities" (http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
islamtoday.
 
net/
 
/
english/
 
show_detail_section.
 
cfm?q_id=839&
 
main_cat_id=11)
[5] "Al-Hakim Al-Naysaburi" (http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
sunnah.
 
org/
 
history/
 
Scholars/
 
al_hakim_al_naysaburi.
 
htm). Sunnah.org. Archived (http:/
 
/
 
web.
archive.
 
org/
 
web/
 
20100701190623/
 
http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
sunnah.
 
org/
 
history/
 
Scholars/
 
al_hakim_al_naysaburi.
 
htm) from the original on 1 July
2010. . Retrieved 2010-06-10.
[6] stated in al-Qawl al-Musaddad fil-Dhabb `an Musnad al-Imam Ahmad (published by Shaykh Ahmad Shakir in his edition of the Musnad)
(http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
livingislam.
 
org/
 
n/
 
maq_e.
 
html)
[7]
[7] Siyar A`lâm al-Nubalâ' (17/176)
[8]
[8] Mîzân al-I`tidal (4/135)

Hakim al-Nishaburi
51
Hakim al-Nishaburi
Muslim
 
scholar
Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn
Abdullah al-Hakim Nishapuri
Title
al-Hakim
Born
933 (321 AH)
Died
1012 (403 AH)
Ethnicity
Persian
Maddhab
Shafi'i
Main interests
Hadith
Works
Mustadrak al-Hakim
Influenced
Imam al-Bayhaqi[1]
Abu Abd-Allah Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah al-Hakim al-Nishaburi (Arabic: ﻱﺭﻮﺑﺎﺴﻴﻨﻟﺍ ﻢﻛﺎﺤﻟﺍ ﻪﻠﻟﺍﺪﺒﻋ ﻦﺑ ﺪﻤﺤﻣ ﻪﻠﻟﺍﺪﺒﻋ ﻮﺑﺃ)
(933 - 1012), and also known as Ibn Al-Baiyi.
[2]
) was a Sunni scholar and the leading traditionist of his age,
frequently referred to as the "Imam of the Muhaddithin" or the "Muhaddith of Khorasan."
Biography
Al-Hakim, who hailed from Nishapur, had vast amounts of teachers
[3] 
in Khurasan, Iraq, Transoxiana and elsewhere.
He had scores of notable students, including Imam al-Bayhaqi
[4] 
who was a scholarly giant in his own right.
Al-Hakim gained a substantial reputation for writing Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain. He started writing al-Mustadrak
in the year when he was 72 years old. Al-Hakim is quoted to have said: "I drank water from Zamzam and asked
Allâh for excellence in writing books".
Death
On the 3rd of Safar 405 al-Hakim went into the bath, came out after bathing, said "Ah" and died wearing but a
waist-cloth before he had time to put on a shirt. Later, one of al-Hakim's students, Al-Hasan ibn Ash`ath al-Qurashî
said: "I saw al-Hâkim in my dream riding a horse in a handsome appearance and saying: 'Salvation.' I asked him:
`Al-Hakim! In what?' He replied: 'Writing hadith.'" 
[5]
Legacy
Shah Waliullah, a 18th century Sunni Islamic scholar stated 
[6]
:
A mujaddid appears at the end of every century: The mujaddid of the 1st century was Imam of Ahlul Sunnah,
Umar bin Abdul Aziz. The mujaddid of the 2nd century was Imam of Ahlul Sunnah Muhammad Idrees Shafi'i.
The mujaddid of the 3rd century was Imam of Ahlul Sunnah Abu Hasan Ash'ari. The mujaddid of the 4th
century was Abu Abdullah Hakim Nishapuri.

Hakim al-Nishaburi
52
Criticism
Al-Hakim drew criticism for mildly adhering to Shi`ism.
[7] 
Ibn al-Subkî rejects the label of Shi`i as baseless because
Ibn `Asakir includes al-Hakim among the Asharis, who consider the Shias as innovators. Yet this label is still
branded as a blemish today at the hands of those who oppose his positions if they weaken theirs, and those who
oppose him for being a follower of al-Ashari, or for being a Sufi. Others noted to al-Hakim's sincerity in narrating
hadith as the first hadith of Prophet Muhammad al-Hâkim narrated is:
May Allah make radiant the face of one who heard one of my sayings and then carried it to others. It may be
that one carries understanding without being a person of understanding; it may be that one carries
understanding to someone who possesses more understanding than he.
Works
He authored the following works among others:
• Al-Abwâb ("The Chapters")
• Al-Amâlî ("The Dictations")
• Amâlî al-`Ashiyyât ("Night Dictations")
• Fadâ'il al-Shâfi`î ("The Immense Merits of al-Shâfi`î")
• Fawâ'id al-Nusakh ("Benefits of the Copies")
• Fawâ'id al-Khurâsâniyyîn ("Benefits of the People of Khurâsân")
• Al-Iklîl fî Dalâ'il al-Nubuwwa ("The Diadem: The Marks of Prophethood")
• Al-`Ilal ("The Defects of Hadîth")
• Mâ Tafarrada bi Ikhrâjihi Kullu Wâhidin min al-Imâmayn ("Reports Found Only in al-Bukhârî or Only in
Muslim")
• Al-Madkhal ilâ `Ilm al-Sahîh ("Introduction to the Science of Sound Reports")
• Ma`rifat Anwâ` `Ulûm al-Hadîth ("Knowledge of the Different Types of the Hadîth Sciences")
• Al-Mustadrak `alâ al-Sahîhayn ("Supplement for What is Missing From al-Bukhârî and Muslim")
• Muzakkâ al-Akhbâr ("Verified Reports")
• Al-Sahîhân ("The Two Books of sahîh Hadîths")
• Al-Talkhîs ("The Summary")
• Tarâjim al-Musnad `alâ Shart al-Sahîhayn ("The Reports of Ahmad's Musnad That Match the Criteria of the Two
Books of Sahîh")
• Tarâjim al-Shuyûkh ("Biographies of the Shaykhs")
• Târîkh `Ulamâ' Ahl Naysabûr ("History of the Scholars of Naysabûr")
References
[1]
[1] Constructive Critics, Ḥadīth Literature, and the Articulation of Sunnī Islam, By Scott C. Lucas,pg. 98
[2] Islamtoday.Com - Al-Hakim’s Mustadrak & al-Dhahabî’s Talkhis (http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
islamtoday.
 
net/
 
/
 
english/
 
show_detail_section.
cfm?q_id=839&
 
main_cat_id=11)
[3] Brief Biographies of the Eminent Scholars of Hadeeth (http:/
 
/
 
members.
 
cox.
 
net/
 
ameer1/
 
bioschol.
 
html)
[4]
[4] Constructive Critics, Ḥadīth Literature, and the Articulation of Sunnī Islam, by Scott C. Lucas, pg.98
[5] http:/
 
/
 
www.
 
livingislam.
 
org/
 
n/
 
6sch_e.
 
html
[6] Izalat al-Khafa p. 77 part 7
[7]
[7] Constructive Critics, Ḥadīth Literature, and the Articulation of Sunnī Islam, By Scott C. Lucas, pg.98.

A Great Collection of Fabricated Traditions
53