IMAAM TIRMIDHI'S CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS HADITH
by Moulana Abdool Kader Hoosen

Chapter Two

The various Texts, Manuscripts and Commentaries of the Jami'

Tirmidhi's Aim in Compiling the Jami'

The reason for compiling the Jami' as stated by Tirmidhi was the encouragement he received from the scholars to mentiorn the various verdicts of the jurists as well as the discrepancies of the traditions. Initially he did not embark on this venture, but later fulfilled this task with the hope of benefiting the people.

Tirmidhi says that every tradition mentioned in the Jami' is utilised by the jurists except for two traditions; The first one was reported on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas (d. 68 A.H.), who was a cousin of the Prophet (S.A.W.), that the Prophet (S.A.W.) combined the Zuhr (afternoon prayer) and 'Asr (late afternoon) prayer and the Maghrib (sunset) and 'Isha (night) prayer, in Madina, even though there was no cause for fear, no journey to undertake or no inclement weather to contend with. The second tradition was narrated on the authority of Mu'awiya b. Abu Sufyan (d.60 A.H.), founder of the Umayyid dynasty, that the Prophet (S.A.W.) said that, if one drinks alcohol, then one should be whipped and if one repeats it the fourth time then one should be killed.

The seven editions of the Jami' that were available to the present writer at the time of writing this thesis will be mentioned hereunder. These editions are according to the narration of Abu al-'Abbas al-Mahbubi (d. 346 A.H.) whose version of the Jami' is the most reliable and famous.

1. The Jami' edited by Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, editor of the Shama'il of Tirmidhi and Mishkat al-Masabih, is in three volumes and was published in Riyad in 1408 A.H. by the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States. This copy, printed on high quality paper is devoid of printing errors and is freely available in the Arab States. The editor has shortened the Sanad by mentioning only the transmitter's names and has given his personal classification of each tradition, not mentioning Tirmidhi's. The omission of Tirmidhi's classification is disadvantageous for any scientific analysis of the text, since it leaves one totally at the mercy of Albani's classification. It should be borne in mind that Albani has named this copy of the Jami', Sahih Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, since his main purpose was to compile all the sound traditions of Tirmidhi. Thus, all the traditions which were weak or suspect in Albani's opinion have been omitted. Therefore the total number of traditions in this particular copy is only 3,101, a full 855 traditions less than the original text. The first volume has 388 pages including an introduction, the second volume consists of 419 pages, while the third volume has 470 pages including an index.

2. Another edition of the Jami', printed on poor quality paper, is in a single volume of 588 pages and was published in Delhi, India by Kutub Khana Rashidiyya. The date of publication is not mentioned. However, it is certain that this publication was printed in this century. This copy is not devoid of printing errors. It includes the Shama'il and al-'Ilal of Tirmidhi, and a brief commentary of Moulana Mahmud al-Hasan (d.1339 A.H.) in the beginning. A discussion on the principles of Hadith by 'Ali Jurjani is also included. This copy is freely available in India.

3. The Jami' was published in one volume in Karachi by H.M. Sa'id, and the date of publication is not mentioned. However, it is certain that this text was printed in this century. It is printed on mediocre quality paper and contains several printing errors. It contains marginal commentaries on the Jami' by Moulana Anwar Kashmiri (d.1353 A.H.) and Ali b. Sulaiman Bajm'awi al-Maliki (d.1298 A.H.) and ends with the Shama'il and al-'Ilal as appendices. It also contains a brief commentary of Moulana Mahmud al-Hasan in the beginning. This copy is freely available in Pakistan.

4. Another edition of the Jami', printed in one volume was published in Karachi by Mir Muhammad and the date of publication is not mentioned. Like the above two publications it is certain that this one is also of the current century. This copy includes the above mentioned discussion on the principles of Hadith by 'Ali Jurjani. It begins with a brief commentary of Moulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanwi (d. 1362 A.H.) and also the treatises of Hazami (d.584 A.H.) and Maqdasi (d.507 A.H.) entitled 'The Conditions of the Imams' (for the acceptance of Ahadith). This copy is however printed on poor quality paper and is inundated with printing errors. It is freely available in Pakistan.

5. The Jami', consisting of five volumes, was published in Faisalabad, Pakistan by Diya al-Sunna. This text includes the popular and widely used commentary compiled by A.R. Mubarakfuri, (d.1353 A.H.) called Tuhfa al-Ahwadhi. Four volumes consists of the text of the Jami' and Mubarakfujri's commentary upon it. The fifth volume contains a detailed exposition on the Science of Hadith. This volume also contains a detailed discussion on Tirmidhi and the Jami'. It is printed on mediocre quality paper and is freely available in Pakistan. Although the date of publication is not mentioned, it is certain that this publication was also issued in this century.

6. Another edition of the Jami', consisting of five volumes was published by Dar al-Fikr in Beirut, 1983. The editor of the first volume was 'Abd al-Wahhab 'Abd al-Latif. The second to fifth volumes were edited by 'Abd al-RahmAn Muhammad 'Uthman, while the last volume includes the 'Ilal of Tirmidhi. The editor's only contribution in this edition was the I'rab (declension). This publication is printed on high quality paper, free from printing errors and is freely available in the Arab States.

7. The Jami', consisting of five volumes, was published by Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya in Beirut. In spite of the absence of the date of publication, it is certain that this print was also issued in this century. The first, second and fifth volumes were edited by Ahmad Muhammad Shakir (d.1377 A.H.) editor of Shafi's (d. 204 A.H.) al-Risala, the third by Muhammad Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi, compiler of the concordance of the Qur'an and the fourth by Kamal Yusuf al-Hut. This particular copy will be used for the thesis, since it is the only one which corresponds with the concordance of Hadith compiled by A.J. Wensinck, and because the editing of the entire Jami' was done in a scholarly fashion, as is evident by the references and footnotes found virtually on every page. This publication is printed on high quality paper and is freely available in the Arab States. Another distinction of this publication is that Shakir has accommodated various other texts of the Jami' in the footnotes.

The Manuscripts of the Jami'

Mukhtar mentions the following manuscripts:

1. A manuscript written by Hamid b. Muslim in 609 A.H. in a single volume, begins with the "Chapter on Prayer for the Deceased", and concludes with the "Chapter on Hagiology".

2. Muhammad b. Mahmud b. Husain (d. 860 A.H.) possessed a manuscript of the Jami' which was written in 792 A.H.

3. A manuscript which is in a single volume of two parts; the first written by 'Ali b. Sayf in 774 A.H., and the second by 'Umar b. 'Abd al-Hamid in 577 A.H.

4. The first part of the Jami' was written by Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 A.H.) in 536 A.H.

5. A manuscript, which was transcribed by Ibn Hajar (d.852 A.H.).

6. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad transcribed the second part of the Jami' in 593 A. H.

It is not known whether the above mentioned manuscripts were ever published or preserved.

There are other manuscripts besides the above mentioned. For example, Subhi Samirra'i, the editor of Tirmidhi's 'Ilal, relied on three manuscripts of the Jami' for editing purposes. The first manuscript is extant in the library of Sultan Ahmad III in Istanbul. This particular manuscript was read to Tirmidhi, and rectifications in his own handwriting are to be found in several places. This manuscript was written by Ibn al-Lahham. The second manuscript is in Al-Zahiriyya Library in Damascus. It was written by Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Abu Bakr b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Zuraiq and consists of 102 pages. However, certain chapters of the Jami' are missing from this manuscript. The third manuscript was written by Muhammad b. Husain al-Maliki and was completed in Makkah in 899 A.H. It consists of 136 pages and is extant in the Egyptian Library. However, certain chapters of the Jami' are also missing from this manuscript.

An Abridged Version of the Jami'

Abu al-Fadl Muhammad Taj al-din b. 'Abd al-Muhsin had compiled a Mujarrad (omitting the repeated traditions) of the Jami', which is preserved in the Khudaiwiyya Library in Egypt.

The Commentaries of the Jami'

1. 'Aridata al-Ahwadhi
This was written by Abu Bakr b. al-'Arabi (d. 546 A.H.), who was a famous Maliki scholar. This commentary is from a theological perspective and was published in Egypt in 1350 A.H.

2. Qut al-Mughtadhi
This was compiled by Jalal al-Din al-Suyyuti (d. 911 A.H.) and was published in India in 1299 A.H.

3. Tuhfa al-Ahwadhi
This was written by 'Abd al-Rahman al-Mubarakfuri (d. 1353 A.H.), in five volumes and is an exhaustive study. He discusses the Sanad in detail and also comments from a theogical perspective. The author in his approach has been critical of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. This commentary has been reprinted several times in Pakistan and the Arab States.

4. Al-Kaukab al-Durri
This commentary is a collection of lectures delivered by Moulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (d.1323 A.H.) and compiled by his student, Moulana Muhammad Yahya (d. 1334 A.H.). Thereafter Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (d. 1401 A.H.) added his notes and it was published for the first time in India in 1354 A.H. This commentary and the following two are pro-Hanafi (one of the four schools of jurisprudence), due to the Hanari proofs being given preference in comparison with those of other legal schools.

5. Al-'Arf al-Shadhi
These were the discourses delivered by Moulana Anwar Kashmiri (d. 1353 A.H.) and was compiled by his student, Jiragh Muhammad. It was published in Deoband, India, and the date of publication is unknown. It contains several printing errors since no proof reading was done.

6. Ma'arif al-Sunan
This commentary was compiled by Moulana Muhammad Yusuf Binnawri (d. 1 397 A.H.) in six volumes and is incomplete, ending with the chapter on pilgrimage, but nonetheless is considered to be an outstanding work on Hadith. It was published by H.M. Said in Karachi, in 1394 A.H.

7. Al-'Arf al-Shadhi 'ala Jami' al-Tirmidhi
This commentary was compiled by Siraj al-Din 'Umar al-Balqini (d.805 A.H.). It is unknown whether this commentary was ever printed.

8. Al-Imaam al-Tirmidhi Wa-Takhrij Kitab al-Tahara Min Jami'ihi
This commentary by Moulana Muhammad Habib Allah Mukhtar was done as a doctoral thesis in the University of Karachi. It was published in 1985 consisting of a single volume. In it he presents a perspective by different traditionists on the comparative deductions of Ahadith relating to cleanliness.

9. Dars Tirmidhi
These are the lectures of Moulana Muhammad Taqi 'Uthmani, whose commentary is printed in the Urdu language in two volumes, which were published in 1983. He deals with many contemporary problems which the scholars of the past did not encounter.

10. Al-Imaam al-Tirmidhi Wa-al-Muwazana Bayna Jami'ihi Wa-Bayna al-Sahihayn
This is a doctoral thesis, comparing Tirmidhi's Jami' to Bukhari and Muslim's collections of Hadith. This thesis was written by Nur al-Din 'Itar in 1964 at the Al-Azhar University. It was published for the first time in Cairo in 1970.

11. Sharah Ibn Hajar
Ibn Hajar (d. 852 A.H.) states in the chapter on standing and urinating from his Fath al-Bari (commentary on Sahih Bukhari) that he had also written a commentary on the Jami. Unfortunately this commentary has perished.

12. Sharah Ibn Sayyid al-Nas
Ibn Hajar states that Ibn Sayyid al-Nas (d. 734 A.H.) began writing a detailed commentary on the Jami' and completed approximately ten volumes before he died. This commentary was never published.

13. Sharah Ibn al-Mulaqqan
This commentary was written by Siraj al-Din Ibn al-Mulaqqan (d.804 A.H.) He only commented on those traditions of the Jami' that were not found in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim or Sunan Abu Dawud. It is unknown whether his commentary was ever printed.

14. Naf'u Qut al-Mughtadhi
This commentary was written by 'Ali b. Sulaiman al-Maliki (d. 1298 A.H.) It was printed by the Nizami Press of India in 1306 A.H.

15. A commentary in 20 volumes was written by Zayn al-Din 'Abd al- Rahman b. Ahmad b. al-Naqib. This commentary was burnt in one of the civil wars, the date of which is unknown.

16. A commentary by Siraj Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Faruqi is available in the Persian language and was published in India in the year 1299 A.H.

The Narrators of the Jami'

According to Robson, the chains of transmission from Tirmidhi are comparatively few in number, which seems strange in view of the relative importance of the work; yet it is possible to suggest an explanation. Although the Jami' has for long been held in honour, this was not always so. At first it did not seem to have recommended itself, and it was only in the sixth century A.H. that it was accepted as one of the canonical books on Hadith. Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud and Sunan Nasai all received acceptance before Tirmidhi's Jami' and they all have several transmitters whose versions were handed through various transmissions. It is therefore reasonable to infer that, since the importance of Tirmidhi's work was not sufficiently realized for some time, there was a lack of interest in transmitting it.

A number of persons transmitted traditions from Tirmidhi. Sam'ani mentions the following seven: Muhammad b. Sahl al-Ghazzali, Yacoob b. Muhammad al-Dihqan, Abu al-Nasr al-Rashadi (d.290 A.H.), Abu 'Ali b. al-Harb, Hammad b. Shakir al-Nasafi (d. 295-A.H.), Abu al-Abbas al-Mahbubi (d. 346 A.H.) and Al-Haythami b. Kulaib al-Shashi (d.335 A.H.). It is not clear whether all those mentioned transmitted the whole of the Jami', as it is merely said that they transmitted from Tirmidhi, without any elucidation as to the extent of their transmission. A discussion on four selected narrators follows:

Mahbubi's Version
His name was Abu al-'Abbas Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Mahbub b. Fudail al- Marwazi al-Mahbubi (d.346 A.H.) and his method of hearing the JAmi' is not specified, but Ibn Khair states that the Jami' was recited to Tirmidhi while Mahbubi was listening.

Abu Hamid's Version
Abu Hamid Ahmad b. 'Abd AllAh b. Dawud al-Marwazi, the merchant, is one of the recognized transmitters from Tirmidhi, but no details are mentioned about him in the biographical dictionaries.

Abu Dharr's Version
Abu Dharr Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. Muhammad al-Tirmidhi is not mentioned among the transmitters of the Jami' by Sam'ani, Yaqut, Dhahabi or Ibn Hajar, but Ibn Khair mentions one chain through him.

Qattan's Version
Abu Muhammad al-Hasan b. Ibrahim al-Qattan, like Abu Dharr, is not mentioned among the transmitters from Tirmidhi, and there is no information available on him either, however, Ibn Khair mentions one chain through him.

Conclusion

When one examines these chains of transmissions, very few questions arise regarding the possibility of these men transmitting from those whom they quote, however, it is surprising to find that Mahbubi, whose version is used at the present time, should have died in 346 A.H; whereas Tirmidhi died in 279 A.H. According to Robson, Mahbubi's date of birth is unknown. Although there is nothing inherently impossible in his having heard the Jami' from Tirmidhi, it is strange that the surviving text should come from one so much younger than the author.

According to Shakir, Mahbubi died in 346 A.H. when he was ninety-seven years old. Hence, when Tirmidhi died Mahbubi was thirty years old. Thus Robson's astonishment is not Justified.

The preceding treatise on the various texts, manuscripts and commentaries of the Jami' reveals, amongst other things, a strong point of difference between Tirmidhi and other traditionists on the conditions for the acceptance of Ahadith. The uniqueness of Tirmidhi's conditions for the acceptance of Ahaadith is the subject of chapter three.

Tirmidhi ... Home

Chapter Three

 

Source:  Jamiatul Ulama (Kwazulu-Natal)