''Sunan al-Tirmidhi'' () is the fourth
hadith
Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
collection of the
Six Books of
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...
. It was compiled by Islamic scholar
al-Tirmidhi
Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi (; 824 – 9 October 892 CE / 209–279 AH), often referred to as Imām at-Termezī/Tirmidhī, was an Islamic scholar, and collector of hadith from Termez (early Khorasan and in present-day Uzbekistan). He w ...
in (250–270 AH).
Title
The full title of the compilation is (). It is shortened to , , , or .
The term ''Jami'' within the title indicates a complete collection covering all eight ''Risalah'' (Allah's message) subjects. The term ''Sunan'' within the title refers to the collection's focus and chapter arrangement based on the particular ''Risalah'' subject, ''ahkam'' (general law). Al-Kattani said: "''The Jamiʿ'' of at-Tirmidhi is also named ''The Sunan'', contrary to those thinking them to be two separate books, and
t is also named''Al-Jamiʿ al-Kabir''.
Since the book is considered by most Sunnis to be the most authentic after
Sahih al-Bukhari
() is the first hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar al-Bukhari () in the format, the work is valued by Sunni Muslims, alongside , as the most authentic after the Qur'an.
Al-Bukhari organized the bo ...
and
Sahih Muslim
() is the second hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj () in the format, the work is valued by Sunnis, alongside , as the most important source for Islamic religion after the Q ...
, this was dubbed by later scholars as .
Compilation and description
He began compiling it after the year 864/5 AD (250 AH) and completed it on the 9 June 884 AD (10 Dhu al-Hijjah 270 AH).
It contains about 4330 ''ahadith'' (now roughly 4400), and has been divided into fifty chapters—disputed as 46 books.
Reception
Ibn al-Athir said: "(It) is the best of books, having the most benefit, the best organization, with the least repetition. It contains what others do not; like mention of the different
views, angles of argument, and clarifying the circumstances of the
hadith
Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
as being
''sahih'',
''da'if'', or
''gharib'', as well as disparaging and endorsing remarks (regarding narrators)."
Authenticity
Sunnis regard this collection as fifth in strength of their
six major hadith collections
(), also known as () are the six canonical hadith collections of Sunni Islam. They were all compiled in the 9th and early 10th centuries, roughly from 840 to 912 CE and are thought to embody the Sunnah of Muhammad.
The books are the of al ...
.
Ibn al-Jawzi
Abu al-Faraj Jamal al-Din Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hasan Ali Al-Jawzi also known as Ibn al-Jawzi (16 June 1201) was a Muslim jurisconsult, preacher, orator, heresiographer, traditionist, historian, judge, hagiographer, and philologist who played ...
stated that there are twenty-three or thirty forged hadith in it. Some scholars like
al-Suyuti
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (; 1445–1505), or al-Suyuti, was an Egyptians, Egyptian Sunni Muslims, Muslim polymath of Persians, Persian descent. Considered the mujtahid and mujaddid of the Islamic 10th century, he was a leading Hadith studies, muh ...
have criticised Ibn al-Jawzi's findings as being too strict, concluding that there are no fabricated hadith in the Jami. The 20th-century Albanian Islamic scholar
al-Albani
Muhammad Nasir al-Din (19142 October 1999), commonly known as al-Albani, was an Albanian Islamic scholar. A leading figure of Salafism, he is commemorated for his works on revaluation of hadith studies.
Born in Shkodër, Albania, to a family ad ...
identified sixteen fabricated hadith.
Ibn Hazm's Opinion
It was narrated from
Ibn Al-Qattan Al-Fasi that
Ibn Hazm
Ibn Hazm (; November 994 – 15 August 1064) was an Andalusian Muslim polymath, historian, traditionist, jurist, philosopher, and theologian, born in the Córdoban Caliphate, present-day Spain. Described as one of the strictest hadith interpre ...
said in his now lost book, ''
Al-Isaal'', that
Al-Tirmidhi's position was ''Majhul'' or unknown. What is usually the case with narrators that are unknown is that they are rejected as being authentic. This peculiar and seemingly bizarre view of
Ibn Hazm
Ibn Hazm (; November 994 – 15 August 1064) was an Andalusian Muslim polymath, historian, traditionist, jurist, philosopher, and theologian, born in the Córdoban Caliphate, present-day Spain. Described as one of the strictest hadith interpre ...
regarding
Al-Tirmidhi's status in Hadith was also recorded by
Al-Dhahabi
Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī (), also known as Shams ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Qāymāẓ ibn ʿAbdillāh at-Turkumānī al-Fāriqī ad-Dimashqī (5 October 1274 – 3 February 1348) was an Atharism, Athari ...
in his book, ''
Tarikh Al-Islam'', and he said the following:
What is astonishing is Abu Muhammad Ibn Hazm, where he says about Abu 'Isa .e. Al-Tirmidhi">Al-Tirmidhi.html" ;"title=".e. Al-Tirmidhi">.e. Al-Tirmidhi '[He is] unknown,' as mentioned in the book '' Al-Isaal''.
In a attempt to try to defend
Ibn Hazm
Ibn Hazm (; November 994 – 15 August 1064) was an Andalusian Muslim polymath, historian, traditionist, jurist, philosopher, and theologian, born in the Córdoban Caliphate, present-day Spain. Described as one of the strictest hadith interpre ...
,
Al-Dhahabi
Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī (), also known as Shams ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Qāymāẓ ibn ʿAbdillāh at-Turkumānī al-Fāriqī ad-Dimashqī (5 October 1274 – 3 February 1348) was an Atharism, Athari ...
made the point that the
Jami' of Tirmidhi hadn't reached
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
until after
Ibn Hazm's death. This claim, however, doesn't stand. What seems to be the case is that the book had reached
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
even before
Ibn Hazm's birth.
Of the scholars who studied
Al-Tirmidhi's Sunan in
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
was Ibn Al-Fardhi Al-Maliki,
Ibn Hazm's teacher, and he praised
Al-Tirmidhi's status in his book "Al-Mu'talif wal-Mukhtalif." Among other scholars, there was Yahya bin Muhammad al-Jayyani, who died in 390 AH, six years after
Ibn Hazm's birth.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr used to narrate
Al-Tirmidhi's reports through al-Jayyani, and he even mentioned
Al-Tirmidhi
Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi (; 824 – 9 October 892 CE / 209–279 AH), often referred to as Imām at-Termezī/Tirmidhī, was an Islamic scholar, and collector of hadith from Termez (early Khorasan and in present-day Uzbekistan). He w ...
in his book "Al-Tamhid".
Ibn Hazm
Ibn Hazm (; November 994 – 15 August 1064) was an Andalusian Muslim polymath, historian, traditionist, jurist, philosopher, and theologian, born in the Córdoban Caliphate, present-day Spain. Described as one of the strictest hadith interpre ...
himself also reviewed the book, making him aware of
Al-Tirmidhi's narrations, thus refuting the claim of
Al-Dhahabi
Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī (), also known as Shams ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Qāymāẓ ibn ʿAbdillāh at-Turkumānī al-Fāriqī ad-Dimashqī (5 October 1274 – 3 February 1348) was an Atharism, Athari ...
that the book hadn't made it to
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
before
Ibn Hazm's death.
Ibn Kathir
Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (; ), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic Exegesis, exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on (Quranic exegesis), (history) and (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a lea ...
also mentioned
Ibn Hazm's opinion of
Al-Tirmidhi
Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi (; 824 – 9 October 892 CE / 209–279 AH), often referred to as Imām at-Termezī/Tirmidhī, was an Islamic scholar, and collector of hadith from Termez (early Khorasan and in present-day Uzbekistan). He w ...
, but misunderstood what was transmitted by
Ibn Al-Qattan and claimed that
Ibn Hazm
Ibn Hazm (; November 994 – 15 August 1064) was an Andalusian Muslim polymath, historian, traditionist, jurist, philosopher, and theologian, born in the Córdoban Caliphate, present-day Spain. Described as one of the strictest hadith interpre ...
made
Al-Tirmidhi
Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi (; 824 – 9 October 892 CE / 209–279 AH), often referred to as Imām at-Termezī/Tirmidhī, was an Islamic scholar, and collector of hadith from Termez (early Khorasan and in present-day Uzbekistan). He w ...
''Majhul'' in his ''
Al-Muhalla''. However, there is no mention of this, and his ranking as unknown was only recorded in ''
Al-Isaal'', and not in any other work.
Types of hadith included relating to their authenticity
Of the four ''Sunan'' books,
al-Tirmidhi's alone is divided into four categories. The first, those ''hadith'' definitively classified as
authentic, he is in agreement with
Bukhari and
Muslim b. al-Hajjaj. The second category are those ''hadith'' which conform to the standard of the three scholars,
al-Tirmidhi
Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi (; 824 – 9 October 892 CE / 209–279 AH), often referred to as Imām at-Termezī/Tirmidhī, was an Islamic scholar, and collector of hadith from Termez (early Khorasan and in present-day Uzbekistan). He w ...
,
al-Nasa'i
Al-Nasāʾī (214 – 303 Islamic calendar, AH; 829 – 915 CE), full name Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Aḥmad ibn Shuʿayb ibn ʿAlī ibn Sinān ibn Baḥr ibn Dīnar al-Khurasānī al-Nasāʾī (), was a noted collector of hadith (sayin ...
and
Abu Dawood, at a level less than
Bukhari and Muslim b. al-Hajjaj. Third, are the hadith collected due to a contradiction; in this case, he clarifies its flaw. And fourth, those ''hadith'' which some ''
fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.[Fiqh](_blank)
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...
'' specialists have acted upon.
Contents
Editor,
Ahmad Muhammad Shakir's 1937–65, Cairo publication, in 5 volumes, provides the standard topical classification of the hadith
Arabic text. The book is divided into 49 chapters.
Commentaries
* ''Aridhat al-Ahwathi bi Sharh Sunan al-Tirmidhi'' written
Ibn al-Arabi d. 543H (1148–49 CE)
* ''Sharh Jaami' al-Tirmidhi'' of which only the last portion of remains – ''Sharh 'Ilal at-Tirmidhi'' – by
Ibn Rajab
Abd al-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab (736-795 AH / 1335–1393 CE), commonly known as Ibn Rajab, (which was a nickname he inherited from his grandfather who was born in the month of Rajab), was a muhaddith, scholar, and jurist. Notable for his comme ...
* ''
Al-Kawakib al-Durri sharh Jami al-Tirmidhi'' by
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi
* Commentary on al-Tirmidhi's Hadith Collection by
al-Zayn al-Iraqi
* Footnotes, including explanation and verification, of approximately the first third of the ''Sunan'' by
Ahmad Muhammad Shakir
* ''
Al-Arf al-Shadhi sharh Sunan al-Tirmidhi'' by
Anwar Shah Kashmiri
* ''
Maarif al-Sunan sharh Sunan al-Tirmidhi'' by
Yusuf Banuri
* ''Tuhfat Al-Ahwadhi Bi Sharh Jamiʿ Al-Tirmidhi'' by 'Abd al-Rahman al-Mubarkafuri, ed. 'Abd al-Rahman Muhammad 'Uthman, 10 vols., Beirut
* '' Fuyoodh Un Nabi, Sharh Jami Al Tirmidhi '' (in Urdu Language) by
Allama Mufti Muhammad Arshad ul Qadri, Taleem wo Tarbiyat Publisher,
Lahore
Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
, Pakistan
See also
* ''
Sahih al-Bukhari
() is the first hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar al-Bukhari () in the format, the work is valued by Sunni Muslims, alongside , as the most authentic after the Qur'an.
Al-Bukhari organized the bo ...
''
* ''
Sahih Muslim
() is the second hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj () in the format, the work is valued by Sunnis, alongside , as the most important source for Islamic religion after the Q ...
''
* ''
Sunan Abu Dawood
''Sunan Abi Dawud'' () is the third hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. It was compiled by scholar Abu Dawud al-Sijistani ().
Introduction
Abu Dawood compiled twenty-one books related to Hadith and preferred those (plural of ...
''
* ''
Sunan al-Nasa'i''
* ''
Sunan ibn Majah''
* ''
Muwatta Imam Malik
''Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ'' (, 'the approved') or ''Muwatta Imam Malik'' () of Malik ibn Anas, Imam Malik (711–795) written in the 8th-century, is one of the earliest collections of hadith texts comprising the subjects of Sharia, Islamic law, compile ...
''
References
{{Authority control
Sunan al-Tirmidhi
9th-century Arabic-language books
Sunni literature