 | |
| Editor | Abdul-Qadir al-Arna'ut |
|---|---|
| Author | Majd ad-Dīn Ibn Athir |
| Original title | جامع الأصول في أحاديث الرسول |
| Language | Arabic |
| Genre | Hadith collection |
| Publisher | Dar Ibn Kathir |
Publication date | 2016 |
| Publication place | Damascus,Syria |
| Pages | 13 volumes |
| ISBN | 978-9953-520-85-8 |
Jāmiʿ al-Uṣūl fī Aḥādīth al-Rasūl[1] (Arabic:جامع الأصول في أحاديث الرسول,lit. 'The Compendium of the Foundations in the Hadiths of the Messenger') is a multi-volumehadith collection compiled by theIslamic scholarMajd ad-Dīn Ibn Athir. It gathers and reorganizes narrations from thesix canonical Sunni hadith collections, as well as other sources like theMuwatta Malik, organizing them thematically for ease of study and reference. This work is considered a cornerstone forhadith studies.
The idea of compiling theKutub al-Sitta together was first realized by theAndalusian traditionist Razīn b. Muʿāwiya al-Sarakustī (d. 535/1140), who replacedIbn Mājah'sSunan withMālik'sal-Muwaṭṭaʾ and gathered the six canonical collections without commentary in hisal-Jamʿ bayna’l-uṣūl al-sitta. Ibn al-Athīr later revised and expanded this compilation, correcting omissions and reorganizing the material alphabetically, producingJāmiʿ al-Uṣūl min Aḥādīth al-Rasūl.[2]
Jāmiʿ al-Uṣūl fī Aḥādīth al-Rasūl is regarded as Ibn al-Athīr’s most important and influential work. Modelled on, yet improving upon, Rāzīn'sKitāb al-Tajrīd (d. 525 AH), it represents a major contribution to the corpus of hadith literature. The compilation brings together traditions from Mālik's Muwaṭṭaʾ, the Ṣaḥīḥayn ofal-Bukhārī andMuslim, the Sunan ofAbū Dāwūd andal-Nasāʾī, and the Jāmiʿ ofal-Tirmidhī. Following Rāzīn’s approach, Ibn al-Athīr abbreviated theisnād (chain of transmission) by retaining only the name of the first transmitter—namely, theCompanion in the case of hadith or the Successor (tabi'in) in the case of āthār. This method made the work more accessible by allowing readers to focus on the text of the tradition without the lengthy sequence of narrators.[3]
His principal innovation, however, lay in arranging the hadiths thematically by subject matter. This organization represented a significant methodological advancement, enabling readers to locate relevant narrations within the canonical collections more easily. To identify the source of each hadith, Ibn al-Athīr employed a system of abbreviations—for instance, “خ” for al-Bukhārī, “م” for Muslim, and “ط” for Mālik’s Muwaṭṭaʾ—and listed all applicable symbols when a report appeared in multiple works. Recognizing the importance of asmāʾ al-rijāl (biographical study of transmitters), he also appended a supplementary section containing concise biographical notices of narrators.[3]
The work is divided into three major parts (rukn):[4]al-Mabādiʾ, which summarizes principles of hadith methodology;al-Maqāṣid, containing the texts of the hadiths; andKitāb al-Lawāḥiq, comprising narrations that did not fit into specific categories.[2] In the introduction, he outlines his motivation for compiling the work: to make hadith easier to reference and search. He also discusses the methodology of themuḥaddithīn (hadith scholars) in determining authenticity, as well as the techniques of collection and codification. The latter sections of the book serve as a guide to navigating the text, with the third part functioning as an index or key to the hadiths, providing a highly detailed and systematic table of contents to facilitate study and reference.[4]
A distinctive feature of the work is Ibn al-Athīr's addedlinguistic explanatory glosses on difficult or rare (gharīb) expressions, provided at the end of each alphabetic section under titles such as “Sharḥ gharīb al-alif” or “Sharḥ gharīb al-nūn.” The compilation arranges topics alphabetically but preserves thematic unity, sometimes placing related subjects together under one heading.[2]
Due to its scholarly precision and comprehensiveness, Jāmiʿ al-Uṣūl became a central reference for hadith studies. Numerous commentaries and abridgements were produced based on it:[3]
Jāmiʿ al-Uṣūl has appeared in multiple editions. It was first printed inIndia (Meerut, 1346 A.H.), followed by a thirteen-volume edition by Muḥammad Ḥāmid al-Fiqī (Cairo, 1368–1375/1949–1955) and a fifteen-volume edition byʿAbd al-Qādir al-Arnaʾūṭ (Damascus, 1389–1412/1969–1991). Based on the latter, Yūsuf Muḥammad al-Biqāʿī prepared a two-volume index (Beirut, 1405/1984).[2]
According to Fiqī's edition, the work contains 9,483 hadiths, while Arnaʾūṭ's edition lists 9,523—a difference likely due to numbering discrepancies. In Arnaʾūṭ's version, the explanations of gharīb words appear directly beneath the corresponding hadiths.[2]
