Usool al Hadith - Forever Islam

Islamic world. 43 Sunan Abee Daawood is the most comprehensive of the Sunanwith regard to legal hadeeths. 44Many commentaries have been written on the book, and the best oneavailable is that of Shamsul-Haq ‘Azeemaabaadee, ‘Awn al-Ma‘bood SharhSunan Abee Daawood. Another very important work has been published under thetitle Tah’theeb Sunan Abee Daawood edited by Ahmad Shaakir and others in 8volumes in Cairo. It contains the books of Munthiree and Ibn al-Qayyim. 45The Sunan of At-TirmitheeThe general principles with regard to the criticism of hadeeth which had beenadopted by Aboo Daawood were further improved upon and followed by hisstudent Aboo ‘Eesaa Muhammad ibn ‘Eesaa ibn Sawrah ibn Moosaa ad-Dahhaakat-Tirmithee, in his compilation which he called al-Jaami‘. This work containsthe bulk of the traditions - legal, theological, and historical - that had beenaccepted by the jurists of the main juridical tendencies as the basis of Islamic law.At-Tirmithee was born at Makkah in the year 821. He travelled a good deal insearch of traditions, visiting the great centres of Islaamic learning in Iraq, Persiaand Khurasan, where he was able to associate with eminent traditionists such asal-Bukhaaree, Muslim, Aboo Daawood and others. He returned to his hometownin the province of Khurasan in 862 and compiled his Jaami‘ after that. It wascompleted some twenty years later. Aboo ‘Eesaa died at Tirmith in 892. 46Like Aboo Daawod, at-Tirmithee possessed a remarkably sharp and retentivememory, which was severely tested many times. It is related that during an earlystage of his travels, a traditionist once dictated to him several traditions whichoccupied sixteen pages, which, however, were lost by at-Tirmithee before hecould revise them. He met the traditionist again after some time, and requestedhim to recite some traditions. The teacher suggested that he would read out fromhis manuscript the same traditions that he had dictated to at-Tirmithee during theirprevious meeting, and that at-Tirmithee should compare his notes with what heheard. Instead of telling the traditionist that he had misplaced his notes, at-Tirmithee picked up some blank sheets of paper in his hand, and looked into themas though they contained his notes, while the teacher began to read his book.However, the teacher soon noticed the trick, and grew angry at the young43 Hadith Literature, pp. 105-7.44 Studies in Hadith Literature, p. 101.45 Ibid.46 Hadith Literature, p. 107.