The Letter & Number Symbol Key Utilized by the Imams of Hadith Within Their Books
The later scholars of hadith used a letter and number symbol system to identify which Imams used the narrator in their books of hadith. This system is utilized in the encyclopedic biographical works such as Tahthib At-Tahthib of Hafith Ibn Hajr, his Taqrib , Adh-Dhahabi in his Al-Mizan and other works of immense benefit in the science of Hadith.
Examples:
The following are a few examples of the Letter & Number Symbol system:
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At the end of the entry of As-Sa’ib An-Nukri you find the two letters مد . This is the symbol system. Now if you use the key below you will be able to determine what book of hadith meem daal represents; Abu Dawud’s Marasil.
Another example:
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In this example ‘Amir ibn ‘Ubdah Al-Baahili is used. At the end of his entry you find the letters خت . Now using the key below you will see that khaa taa stands for Bukhari’s Sahih in Mu’allaq form.
Another example:
In this example I have used the entry Abdul-Aziz ibn Abi Bakra Ath-Thaqafi who is, as Ibn Hajr states, Saduq. At the end of the entry you can see the symbols خت د ت ق . Note that one should be careful not to combine letters or else it will change the referencing and one will be mistaken when verifying or utilizing the symbol system.
So using the code system below one can determine that Abdul-’Aziz’s narrations are found in Bukhari’s Sahih in Mu’allaq form, Abu Dawud’s Sunan, Tirmidhi’s Sunan, and the Sunan of Ibn Majah.
Last Example is for You to Figure Out
This narrator’s name is Qartha’, the only narrator named such in the books of hadith. He is Saduq (honest) according to Hafith Ibn Hajr in this entry. What books of Hadith narrate through him as stated by Hafith Ibn Hajr?
Please post your findings in the comments of this thread so that I know someone understands the system!
The following is a general key as mentioned by Hafith Ibn Hajr Al-’Asqalani in his Intro to Taqrib At-Tahthib:
Codes for Imam al-Bukhari:
خ – Bukhari’s Sahih
خت – Bukhari’s Sahih in Mu’allaq form
بخ – Bukhari’s Adab Al-Mufrad
عخ – Bukhari’s Khalq Af’al Al-’Ibad
ر – Bukhari’s treatise “Juza’ Al-Qira’at”
ي – Bukhari’s Rafa’ul Yadayn
Codes for Imam Muslim
م – Muslim’s Sahih
مق – the Muqaddimah of the Sahih of Imam Muslim
Codes for Imam Abu Dawud
د -Abu Dawud’s Sunan
مد – Abu Dawud’s Marasil
صد – Abu Dawud’s Fadaa’il Al-Ansaar
خد – Abu Dawud’s Naasikh
قد -Al-Qadir
ف – At-Tafarrud
ل – Masaa’il
كد – Musnad Maalik
Codes for Imam Tirmithi
ت – Sunan
تم – Ash-Shama’il
Codes for Imam An-Nasa’i
س -Sunan
عس – Musnad ‘Ali
كن – Musnad Imam Malik of Imam An-Nasa’i
Hafith Shu’ayb Al-Arna’ut mentions two more that Ibn Hajr does not that are sometimes used for Imam An-Nasa’i:
سي – ‘Amal Al-Yawm wal-Laylah
ص – Khasa’is ‘Ali
Codes for Imam Ibn Majah:
ق -Sunan
فق – Tafsir
If the narrator is within all of the six books of hadith the letter ع is used. If the number 4 is used then it is in the four sunan without the two Shayks (i.e. Bukhari and Muslim).
In other than these works the Hafith Ibn Hajr uses تميز (tamayyaz).
Edited 5-30-09
Imam An-Nawawi on Ascribing Jiha (direction) to Allah
I have added the following communication because I believe it is of extreme import to share this with Sunnis.
Sidi Gibril Haddad exposes the pseudo-salafi tactics:
o decontextualization
o misattribution
o mistranslation
o misinterpretation
o marginalization/poor adab
in the quote from the Sharh of Sahih Muslim regarding the hadith of the slave girl.
A Man Reciting Surat Al-Mulk in The Grave: Mistranslation of Hadith by Dar-us-Salam
Imam At-Tirmidhi narrates the following incident:
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ أَبِي الشَّوَارِبِ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ مَالِكٍ النُّكْرِيُّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي الْجَوْزَاءِ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ ضَرَبَ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خِبَاءَهُ عَلَى قَبْرٍ وَهُوَ لَا يَحْسِبُ أَنَّهُ قَبْرٌ فَإِذَا فِيهِ إِنْسَانٌ يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ حَتَّى خَتَمَهَا فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي ضَرَبْتُ خِبَائِي عَلَى قَبْرٍ وَأَنَا لَا أَحْسِبُ أَنَّهُ قَبْرٌ فَإِذَا فِيهِ إِنْسَانٌ يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ تَبَارَكَ الْمُلْكِ حَتَّى خَتَمَهَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هِيَ الْمَانِعَةُ هِيَ الْمُنْجِيَةُ تُنْجِيهِ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ
Muhammad ibn Abdul Malik ibn Abish-Shawarib>>Yahya ibn ‘Amru ibn Malik An-Nukri>>from his father>>from Abil Jawzaa’>>Ibn ‘Abbas (radiya Allahu anhu) who said,
“One of the companions of the Prophet [Muhammad] set up a tent on a grave while not aware that it was a grave. The man heard the person within the grave reciting Surat Al-Mulk until it was completed. So the man came to the Nabi and informed him of what occurred. The Nabi said, “It is a prevention! It is a salvation saving one from the punishment of the grave!”
The Most Hated Halal Thing by Allah is Divorce أبغض الحلال إلى الله الطلاق
Research Compiled by Abul Layth
It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad said,
أَبْغَضُ الْحَلَال إِلَى اللَّهِ الطَّلَاق
“The most hated Halal by Allah is divorce.”
Several questions may enter the mind of the one who reads these words. One who has at least some knowledge of Islam may ask what is the authenticity of the report? If it is authentic, what does it mean? In this article we will explore the different chains and statements of the scholars concerning this narration, insha’Allah.
Sahih: Abu Hurayrah Used to Ask Forgiveness 12000 times a Day!
The following report was called into question by a particular brother commenting on Seekingilm. The following is the takhrij. Abu Nu’aym reports the following in his Hilyat Al-Awliyaa through Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal:
حدثنا أبو بكر بن مالك، حدثنا عبد الله بن أحمد بن حنبل، حدثني أبي، وإبراهيم بن زياد، قالا: حدثنا إسماعيل بن علية، عن خالد الحذاء، عن عكرمة. قال: قال أبو هريرة: إني لأستغفر الله وأتوب إليه كل يوم اثنى عشر ألف مرة، وذلك على قدر ديني، أو قدر دينه
From ‘Ikrimah that Abu Hurayrah said: “Verily, I turn to Allah asking forgiveness and repenting to Him 12,000 times every day.”