those familiar with traditional statements and reports, who have never, to our knowledge, regarded any of them as weak, nor sought to mako out in regard to them the fact of oral communication from one to another of the reporters, inasmuch as each one of them may possibly have heard tradition from his given authority, without any absurdity, because, living at the period they did, they were in habits of intercourse with the Companicns. This new-fangled talk of our author which we have set forth, to the effect that tradition is rendered weak by the cause alleged, is too trifling to be long dwelt upon, or brought prominently into notice, forasmuch as it is an innovation, and a wrong-headed way of treating the subject, which no primitive traditionist ever gave expression to, and those of later times know nothing of. We therefore need not add anything by way of refutation of it, the opinion expressed having no more force than we have represented, either in itself or as advocated by our author. May God prosper the setting aside of whatever is opposed to the views of our doctors-in Him is my confidence!" To these contributions to our knowledge of the science of Muslim tradition we add two extracts from H. and J., which introduce us to the collections of tradition in highest repute among the Muslims, and furnish some dates of importance in the history of the science, already, however, in part anticipated by notes on preceding pages. Our first extract is from H.:* فصل لما تفاوتت مراتب الصحيح والصحاح بعضها أصبح من بعض فاعلم أن الذي تقرر عند جمهور تحدثين ان صحيح البخاری مقدم على ساير الكتب المصنفة حتى قالوا اصبح الكتب بعد كتاب الله صحيح البخارى وبعض المغاربة المسلم على صحيح البخارى والجمهور يقولون ان هذا فيما رجحوا صحيح يرجع الى حسن البيان وجوده الوضيع والترتيب ورعاية دقايق الاشارات ومحاسن النكات في الاسانيد وهذا خارج عن المبحث والكلام في الصحة والقوة وما يتعلق بها وليس كتاب يسارى صحيح البخاري في هذا الباب بدليل كمال الصفات التى اعتبرت في الصحة فى رجاله وبعضهم توقف في ترجيح احدها على الاخر والحق هو الاول والحديث الذي اتفق البخاري ومسلم على تخريجه يسمى متفقا عليه وقال الشيخ بشرط أن يكون عن صحابى واحد وقالوا مجموع الاحاديث المتفقة عليها الفان وثلثماية وستة وعشرون وبالجملة ما اتفق عليه الشيخان مقدم على غيره ثم ما تفرد به fol. 3, rect. and vers. البخارى ثم ما تفرد به مسلم ثم ما كان على شرط البخاري ومسلم ثم ما هو على شرط البخارى ثم ما هو على شرط مسلم ثم ما هو رواه من غيرها من الايمة الذين التزموا الصحة وصححوه فالاقسام سبعة والمراد بشرط البخارى ومسلم أن يكون الرجال متصفين بالصفات التي يتصف بها رجال البخارى ومسلم من الضبط والعدالة وعدم الشذوذ والنكارة والغفلة وقيل المراد بشرط البخارى ومسلم رجال أنفسهم والكلام في هذا طويل ذكرناه في مقدمة شرح سفر السعادة من فصل الاحاديث الصحيحة لم تنحصر في صحيحى البخاري ومسلم ولم يستوعبا الصحاح كلها بل ها منحصران في الصحاح والصحاح التي عندها وعلى شرطهما أيضا لم يورداها فى كتابيهما فضلا عما عند غيرها قال البخاري ما أوردت في كتابي هذا الا ما صبح ولقد تركت كثيرا من الصحاح وقال مسلم الذي أوردت في هذا الكتاب الاحاديث صحيح ولا أقول أن ما تركت ضعیف ولا بد أن يكون في هذا الترك والاتيان وجه تخصيص الايراد والترك أما من جهة الصحة أو من جهة مقاصد اخر والحاكم ابو عبد الله النيساپوری صنف کتابا سماه المستدرك بمعنى أن ما تركه البخاري ومسلم من الصحاح أورده في هذا الكتاب وتلافى واستدرك بعدها على شرط الشيخين وبعضها على شرط احدها وبعضها على غير شرطهما وقال أن البخاري ومسلما لم يحكما بانه ليس احاديث صحيحة غير ما خرجاه في هذين الكتابين وقال قد حدث فى عصرنا هذا فرقة من المبتدعة أطالوا السنتهم بالطعن على ايمة الدين بان مجموع ما صح عندكم من الاحاديث لم يبلغ زهاء عشرة الاف ونقل عن البخارى أنه قال حفظت من الصحاح مأية ألف حديث ومن غير الصحاح مأتى الف والظاهر والله أعلم انه يريد الصحيح على شرطه ومبلغ ما أورد في هذا الكتاب مع التكرار سبعة الاف ومايتين وخمس وسبعون حديث وبعد حذف التكرار أربعة الاف ولقد صنف الاخرون من الاية صحاحا مثل صحيح ابن حزية الذي يقال له أمام الايمة وهو شيخ ابن حبان وقال ابن حبان في مدحه ما رايت على وجه الارض أحدا احسر في صناعة السنن واحفظ للاحفاظ الصحيحة منه كان السنن والاحاديث كلها نصب عينه ومثل صحيح ابن حبان تلميذ ابن حزيمة ثقة فاضل أمام فهام وقال الحاكم كان ابن حبان من أوعية العلم واللغة والحديث والوعظ وكان من عقلاء الرجال ومثل صحيح الحاكم ابي عبد الله النيسابورى الحافظ الثقة المسمى بالمستدرك وقد تطرق في كتابه هذا التساهل واخذوا عليه وقالوا ابن حزيمة وابن حبان أمكن وأقوى من الحاكم واحسن والطف فى الاسانيد وامتون ومثل المختارة للحافظ ضياء الدين المقدسي وهو أيضا خرج صحاحا ليست في الصحيحين وقلوا كتابه احسن من المستدرك ومثل صحيح ابن عوانة وابن السكن والمنتقى لابن جارود وهذه الكتب كلها مختصة بالصحاح ولكن جماعة انتقدوا عليها تعصبا وانصافا وفوق كل ذي علم عليم والله أعلم فصل هذا الكتب الستة المشهورة المقررة فى الاسلام التى يقال لها الصحاح الست في صحيح البخاري وصحيح مسلم والجامع للترمذى والسنن لابی داود وسنن ابن ماجة وعند البعض الموطا بدل ابن ماجة وصاحب جامع الاصول اختار الموضا وفى هذه الكتب الاربعة اقسام من الاحاديث من الصحاح والحسان والضعاف وتسميتها بالصحاح الستة بطريق التغليب وسمى صاحب المصابيح احاديث غير الشيخين بالحسان وهو قريب من الوجه قريب المعنى اللغوى او هو اصطلاح جديد منه وقال بعضهم كتاب الدارمي أحرى واليق بجعله سادس الكتب لان رجاله اقل ضعفا ووجود الاحاديث المنكرة والشاذة فيه نادر وله أسانيد عالية وثلاثياته أكثر من ثلاثيات البخارى وهذه المذكورات من الكتب اشهر الكتب وغيرها من الكتب كثرة شهرة ولقد أورد السيوطى فى كتاب جميع الجوامع من كتب كثيرة يتجاوز خمسين مشتملة على الصحاح والحسان والضعاف وقال ما أوردت فيها حديثا موسوما بالوضع اتفق المحدثون على تركه ورده والله اعلم وذكر صاحب المشكوة في ديباجة كتابه جماعة من الايمة المتقين وهم البخاري ومسلم والامام مالک والامام الشافعي والامام احمد بن حنبل والترمذي وأبو داود والنسائي وابن ماجة والدارمى والدارقطني والبيهقي ورزين واجمل فى ذكر غيرهم وكتبنا أحوالهم في كتاب مفرد مسمى بالاكمال بذكر أسماء الرجال ومن الله التوفيق وهو المستعان في المبداء والمنال "Section. "Since the grades of sound tradition differ one from another, and some sound traditions are sounder than others, be it known that the Sahih of 'al-Bukhârî is established in the estimation of traditionists as superior to all other books of human authorship, so that, as they say, the Suhih of 'al-Bukhârî is the most perfect of books, next to the Book of God.' Some of the people of the West, however, attach greater weight to Muslim's Sahih than to that of 'al-Bukhârî; though every one says that this preference is based upon particulars relative to nicety of expression, together with the fullness of that collection, the arrangement, and the preservation, in the supports, of references to minute points and nice distinctive marks-all which is aside from the subject-matter, and has nothing to do with the question of the soundness and strength of a tradition, and points therewith connected, as regards which there is no book equal to the Sahih of 'al-Bukhârî, since the guarantees whom he relies upon unite every quality taken into account with reference to soundness of tradition. Others, again, hesitate about preferring either of the two to the other. The true view is the first which we have stated. "That tradition which both Muslim and 'al-Bukhârî give out is said to be agreed upon (), 'provided,' as the Shaikh says, 'it be given on the authority of one and the same witness of the Prophet; and the traditions thus agreed upon are said to amount, in number, to two thousand three hundred and twenty-six. To be brief, that which the two masters agree upon is preferred to all other tradition; next comes that which al-Bukhari alone gives out; then, that which Muslim alone gives out; then, that which answers to the stipulation of both 'al-Bukhârî and Muslim; then, that which answers to the stipulation of al-Bukhârî alone; then, that which answers to the stipulation of Muslim alone; and lastly, that which is reported by other eminent teachers strenuous for soundness, and which they regard as sound. There are, therefore, seven subdivisions. The force of the expression: stipulation of 'al-Bukhârî and Muslim' is that the given guarantees of a tradition were characterized by those qualities which the guarantees relied upon by 'al-Bukhâri and Muslim possessed, namely, retentiveness, integrity, and freedom from separateness, indeterminateness, and carelessness. Another explanation of the expression: stipulation of 'al-Bukhari and Muslim' is this, that it denotes an identity of the guarantees of a tradition with those whom they two rely upon. The discussion of this point has been drawn out to a great length: we have given an account of it in the introduction to the Commentary on the Book of Felicity (lemen). "Section. "Sound traditions are not confined to the Sahihs of 'al-Bukhârî and Muslim, nor are these two works all the Sahihs. On the contrary, these are two among the Sahihs; nor do their authors bring forward, in the two books, all those traditions which, in their opinion and according to their stipulation, are sound, to say nothing of such as are sound in the view of others than themselves. Says 'al-Bukhari: 'I have brought forward, in this my book, nothing but sound tradition, and have also left out many traditions which are sound;' and Muslim says: "Whatever traditions I have brought forward in this book are sound, while I do not say that what I have left out is weak tradition.' Yet, doubtless, in this leav ing out and bringing forward there was that sort of particularization which belongs to those acts, either in respect to soundness or in respect to some other points kept in view. 'Al-Hakim 'Abû-'Abdallâh 'an-Nisâpûrî composed a book which he called the Repaired Sahih (m), a name signifying that in this book were brought forward by him sound traditions which 'al-Bukhârî and Muslim had left out, mended and repaired, some according to the stipulation of both of the two masters, others according to the stipulation of one or other of the two, and others still according to other stipulation than theirs; and this author says that "al-Bukhari and Muslim did not judge other traditions than those which they brought forward in their two books to be unsound,' adding: 'for all that this has been asserted, in our time, by a party of the "Innovating Sect," who have protruded their tongues in reproach against the eminent teachers of religion, with the words: "All the traditions which are sound, in your view, do not come up to the number of ten thousand."' Moreover, 'al-Bukhârî himself is reported to have said: 'I have committed to memory one hundred thousand sound traditions, and two hundred thousand unsound'-and it is plain, and God knows, that he means to speak of that which is sound according to his own stipulation -whereas the sum total of what he has brought forward in his book, repetition included, is seven thousand two hundred and seventy-five traditions, and, exclusive of repetition, four thousand. "Sahihs have been composed, also, by later eminent teachers, for example: the Sahih of 'Ibn Hazimah, surnamed the 'Imâm of 'Imâms, who was the master of 'Ibn Hibban, and in praise of whom 'Ibn Hibbân says: 'I have not seen, on the face of the earth, any one of nicer perception with regard to what constitutes a traditional law, or whose memory was more stored with sound memorials-all traditional laws and traditions were present to his mind; and the Sahih of 'Ibn Hibban, the pupil of 'Ibn Hazîmah, a reliable authority of superior qualifications, an eminent teacher of high intelligence, of whom al-Hakim says: "Ibn Hibban was a repository of learning, a living dictionary, a store-house of tradition and instruction in duty, and a man of genius;' and that called the Repaired Sahih, by 'al-Hakim 'Abû-'Abdallâh 'an-Nisâpûrî, the memorizer, the reliable authority, whose book has, to its injury, that want of strict legitimacy which we have referred to, and to whom people have made the objection that 'Ibn Hazîmah and 'Ibn Hibbân are of more weight and stronger than 'al-Hakim, as well as more nice and elegantly discriminating in respect to supports and texts; and the Selection from the Sahih (8), by the memorizer Dhiyâ' 'ad-Din 'al-Makdasi,§ who also brought out sound traditions which are not in the Sahihs of * A similar account of this book is given by Hâji Khalfah, v. 521, who puts the death of the author A. H. 405. Died A. H. 311. His Sahih is mentioned by Hâji Khalfah, iv. 99. See Haji Khalf. Lex., iv. 99. 8 Mentioned by Haji Khalfah, v. 440, who gives for the title of the work 'al-Mukhtarah fi 'al-Hadith, and says that the author died A. H. 643. |