Musannaf

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Hadith
Sunni Kutub Al-Sittah ("The Six Books") Sahih Bukhari صحيح البخاري Sahih Muslim صحيح مسلم Al-Sunan Al-Sughra السنن الصغرى Sunan Abu Dawood سنن أبي داود Sunan al-Tirmidhi جامع الترمذي Sunan ibn Maja سُنن ابن ماجه Period (CE)  Others Muwatta Imam Malik 8th–9th cent. Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal 780–855 Sunan Al-Darimi 868 Shama'il Muhammadiyah (Shamaail Tirmidhi) 9th century Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah 923 Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 965 Al-Mustadrak a. Al-Ṣaḥīḥaīn 11th century Al-Mawdū'āt Al-Kubrā 1128–1217 Rīaḍ As-Ṣāliḥīn 1233–1278 Mishkat Al-Masabih 1340 Talkhis Al-Mustadrak 1274–1348 Majma Al-Zawa'id 1335–1405 Bulugh Al-Maram 1372–1449 Kanz al-Ummal 16th century Zujajat al-Masabih 19th century Minhaj us Sawi 20th century Muntakhab Ahadith 20th century
Shi'ah Al-Kutub Al-Arb'ah ("The Four Books") Kitab Al-Kafi الكتاب الكافي Man La Yahduruhu Al-Faqih من لا يحضره الفقيه Tahdhib Al-Ahkam تهذیب الاحکام Al-Istibsar الاستبصار Period (CE)  Others Nahj Al-Balagha 7th century Bihar Al-Anwar 678–713 Book of Sulaym Ibn Qays 10th century Al-Sahifa Al-Sajjadiyya 11th century Uyun al Akhbar ar Reda 10th century Wasā'il Al-Shīʿah 17th century Haqq al-Yaqeen 17th century Ain Al-Hayat 17th century Qalam-e-Mowla   Daim al-Islam 10th century Al-Ghadir 19th century
Ibadi Jami Sahih Tartib Al-Musnad
Mu'tazila On the Peak of Eloquence  (13th century)
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Category Islam portal

Musannaf hadīth collections are defined by their arrangement of content according to topic and constitute a major category within the class of all such works. Etymologically, musannaf is the passive particle of the Arabic verb sannafa, meaning to arrange by chapter, and so has the literal meaning of something that is sectionally arranged. Though the designation can thus apply to any text so ordered, and indeed has been used with respect to such distinct genres as fiqh (i.e. Islamic jurisprudence), in practice it is most typically applied to compilations of ahadīth.

Numerous hadīth collections are of the musannaf variety, including each of the 6 canonical Sunni ones. A less typical format is the musnad compilation, where content is arranged according to the original transmitter of the report, typically a companion of Muhammad.

Topics

Common section headings in musannaf collections (often referred to as kitābs- "books") include:

• Ahl al-Kitāb – "people of the book"- i.e. monotheists with Islamically-recognized scriptures- most typically Jews and Christians- and their legal and historical relations to Muslims
• Aqdiya – "adjudications [of rasul Allah- i.e. Muhammad]"; various legal cases in which Muhammad is presented as judge
• Fadā'il – "virtues", of Muhammad, preceding ("biblical") prophets, or less typically the companions of Muhammad
• Fadā'il al-Qur'ān-- "virtues of the Qur'ān"; includes the history of its revelation, glosses on its difficult vocabulary, practical issues related to its public recitation, exhortations to read it and obey its rulings
• Īmān – "faith"; concerning various aspects of Islamic dogma and theology
• Jihād – "striving [in holy warfare against infidels]"; the campaigns of Muhammad, usually presented for the purpose of exhorting "holy war" against infidels
• Manāqib – "virtues", of Muhammad, his companions, or various clans and individuals
• Qisas – "stories [of the prophets]"; elaborations on the lives and deeds of "biblical" prophets, often of a popular rather than 'ilmically-sound nature
• Siyar – "the law of warfare"; the campaigns of Muhammad, usually presented for their precedential value in formulating the rules of war
• Tārīkh – "world history", from the creation of the world to the career of Muhammad, considered the salvific moment toward which all history converged; in Shī'ī compilations (e.g. al-Kulīnī's) the lives of the 12 imāms may be included as well

References

• Uri Rubin (1995). The Eye of the Beholder: The Life of Muhammad as Viewed by the Early Muslims: A Textual Analysis. The Darwin Press, Inc.  , pp. 5–14
•  , pp. 76–77