Hadith Notes

My latest paper, which reconstructs a lost recension of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, has just been published in the Journal of Islamic Studies (Oxford University Press). It is available here: academic.oup.com/jis/advance-ar…

My paper examining the intellectual legacies of Anwarshāh Kashmīrī and Zāhid al-Kawtharī, two towering 20th-century Ḥanafī scholars, is now available for download.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ academia.edu/165734283/A_Ta…

@straw_hat_ali Mainly used PowerPoint.

@Hadith_Notes Out of curiosity, what software did you use to generate this map?

I prepared a map and timeline of Imam al-Bukhārī’s life and intellectual career. His extensive travels are not easily captured on a static image. When read alongside the timeline, the overall trajectory becomes much clearer. qalamresearch.com/blog/bukhari-t…

@SasanianShah We importated a blank map and designed it on PowerPoint. I initially thought to remove modern names, but kept them in a smaller and lighter font for reference.

@Hadith_Notes Btw, strange that you have modern names like Uzbekistan there. Why not just the historical names?

My book on Mawlānā Ahmad ʿAlī Sahāranpūrī and his contributions to Hadith literature will be available at the upcoming Cairo Book Fair.

@TheMuslimTheist Agreed. I say "touch on briefly" to avoid over promising, but in reality the whole book is meant to deal with some of the core issues.

@Hadith_Notes " I have a book coming out soon that'll touch on those briefly." Respectfully, these issues need to be discussed in detail, not "touch on briefly." They are serious scholarly criticisms—especially the ICMA methodology of Joshua Little provides a more rational alternative.

My latest paper, which reconstructs a lost recension of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, has just been published in the Journal of Islamic Studies (Oxford University Press). It is available here: academic.oup.com/jis/advance-ar…

@TheMuslimTheist This paper goes beyond the issue of providence of the Sahih, though I'd add that the transmission history is much more common of a concern than some think. Regarding the other issues against the hadith method, I have a book coming out soon that'll touch on those briefly.

@Hadith_Notes Mufti Zaman, when are you going to address the actual substantive critiques against Sunni hadith methodology leveled by orientalists or ICMA, etc? The transmission of al Bukhari is not really an issue outside of Abu Layth followers.

@MTahmidAhmed substack.com/inbox/post/177…

@Hadith_Notes Is there a link to Mohsin Ali's post being referred to here? t.me/hadithnotes_mz…

To streamline the material I share here and across other platforms, it was suggested that I pivot to Telegram for more frequent updates. For those interested, the channel can be joined with this link: t.me/hadithnotes_mz I still plan to post here occasionally - insha-Allah.

There are many intriguing methodological traits of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī that continue to fascinate me but most prominent are (1) Bukhārī's subtle critique of hadith by way of omission and (2) his presentation of defective hadith. [Below: hadith on the Mahdī and Walīd’s flogging]

From the six books, Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī is a delight to study and teach. Rich in linguistic, hadith and fiqh commentary, it’s the earliest sustained hadith sharḥ. Here Tirmidhī casually hints at matn criticism and taʾwīl, alongside hadith grading and legal difference. chef's kiss!

My essay on the history and function of marginal glosses (ḥawāshī) is included in the inaugural issue of Yaqeen’s new journal, Ḥashiya, alongside several other exciting pieces. hashiya.org/posts/much-ado…

The historian al-Ṣāliḥī (d. 942 AH) could not afford side-quests in writing; he had to finish his Sīrah encyclopedia, built on many borrowed books whose loan period, he hints, may already have expired. Ah, but who can resist the sweetness of side-quests?

From the six books, Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī was often preferred for its accessibility and breadth compared to the more subtle and technical Ṣaḥīḥayn, as noted by Harawī (d. 481). No wonder some scholars preferred Jāmi al-Tirmidhī as the primary teaching text for Dawrat al-ḥadīth.

Ibn ʿAsākir’s mammoth 80 volume Tārīkh Dimashq always fascinates me. Mundhirī once said that Ibn ʿAsākir must have begun writing it once he “came to his senses” to complete it in his lifetime! Reminds me of Subkī’s comment that time-defying authorship is a miracle of the Umma!

Just received a copy of the Maṭbaʿ-i Niẓāmī edition of Sunan al-Dārimī, the very first lithographic printing of the work published in Kanpur in 1876. Hard to wrap my head around the fact that this copy is now a century and a half old. Thanks to @WazirChangezi for the gift!

My paper “A Tale of Two Ḥanafīs,” recently published in the Journal of Hanafi Studies, compares the intellectual legacies of Anwar Shāh Kashmīrī (d. 1933) and Zāhid al-Kawtharī (d. 1952) across six disciplines. You can obtain a copy of the journal from @hanafismjournal

To date, the most rigorous study on Imām al-Bukhārī’s life and the compilation of his Ṣaḥīḥ is Aḥmad al-Aqṭash’s Qiṣṣat Ḥayāt al-Bukhārī (@aktash111). I reviewed the book for AJIS, covering its strengths, highlights, and limitations. ajis.org/index.php/ajis…

Imagine thinking hadith scholars needed the HCM to catch historical inconsistencies. Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī and Imām Aḥmad would’ve just called that… anachronistic.