Al-Tirmidhi’s Sources in Transmitting the Views of the Jurists and the Defects of Hadith
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and Companions.
Jami’ al-Tirmidhi is one of the most beneficial of the Sunan collections for the student of both fiqh and hadith; for its aim is not merely to collect the marfu’ reports. It is distinguished by citing the views of the scholars, mentioning practice (‘amal), drawing attention to defects (‘ilal), and including discussions on narrators and defects. For this reason it has become an encyclopaedic book from which many scholarly benefits are drawn in fiqh, in ‘ilal and in the method of criticism.
In this article we present a set of methodological benefits drawn from the commentary of the hafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali on al-Tirmidhi’s ‘Ilal (al-‘Ilal al-Saghir appended to the Jami’), in a passage the editor headed: “A section on al-Tirmidhi’s sources for the views of the scholars in fiqh and the defects of hadith”.
Jami’ al-Tirmidhi Is Not Only a Book of Transmission
It is important to understand the nature of Jami’ al-Tirmidhi before entering into the details of this section. Al-Tirmidhi did not write a book limited to marfu’ reports alone; rather, he gathered in it: hadith together with a statement of its grade and its defects, the schools of the jurists and their preferred positions, indications on criticism and accreditation of narrators (al-jarh wa al-ta’dil), and many other benefits.
It is this interwoven structure that makes the book a home for the interweaving of the science of transmission, the understanding of textual meaning, and the science of criticism.
Al-Tirmidhi States the Source of the Jurists’ Views with His Chains
Al-Tirmidhi stated in this place that the preferred positions of the jurists he cited in his Jami’ he took from known scholarly routes, and that he had chains to the imams of the schools and of hadith for them. This reveals something of great importance: that the transmission of juristic views among the hadith scholars was often done by way of transmission with a chain, not by mere general report.
For this reason al-Tirmidhi mentioned his chains in transmitting the views of a number of the great imams, the most prominent of them being: Sufyan al-Thawri, Malik, Ibn al-Mubarak, al-Shafi’i, Ahmad and Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on them.
Sufyan al-Thawri in al-Tirmidhi: Multiple Routes Confirm the Attribution
Al-Tirmidhi made clear that most of what he cited of the views of Sufyan al-Thawri reached him through two main routes. This multiplicity is not a scholarly luxury, but an indication of precision, because it confirms that the transmission does not rely on a single route.
This is a methodological benefit for the contemporary researcher: verifying the attribution of views to the imams is done by knowing the routes of receiving and transmitting them, not by the mere prevalence of an attribution.
Al-Tirmidhi’s Sources for Imam Malik: Difference Between Chapters Does Not Necessarily Mean Inconsistency
Al-Tirmidhi mentioned that he transmitted much of the views of Imam Malik from particular shaykhs, and that he assigned some chapters on fasting to the route of Abu Mus’ab al-Zuhri, and some of Malik’s statements to the route of al-Qa’nabi.
This draws attention to an important principle: a difference in the source of transmission in certain chapters is not a weakness in method, but a reflection of the nature of hearing and travelling for knowledge. An author may hear some chapters from one shaykh and miss others, and then make them up by another route.
The Views of Ibn al-Mubarak: Multiple Narrators Indicate Breadth of Acquisition
Among what al-Tirmidhi stated in this section is that what he cited of the views of ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak he received from a number of his companions, with multiple chains. This confirms that al-Tirmidhi was not a transmitter of a single school, but a gatherer of the routes of views and of transmission from the imam.
Al-Shafi’i in Jami’ al-Tirmidhi: An Example of the Understanding of Transmission and the Etiquette of Receiving Knowledge
Al-Tirmidhi mentioned his routes to al-Shafi’i, and assigned some chapters on ablution and prayer to the route of Abu al-Walid al-Makki. In this there appear educational benefits that highlight the value of the etiquette of receiving knowledge in the making of scholarship; for knowledge in the school of hadith was not merely information, but conduct, method and gradual progression in taking.
Among the most important things to be learned here: that precision in transmission and proper reception are connected to principles of etiquette, humility and verification, and that this is an authentic part of the heritage of the hadith scholars.
Ahmad and Ishaq: The Centre of Gravity in al-Tirmidhi’s Juristic Citations
Al-Tirmidhi indicated that most of his juristic citations in the Jami’ were from the two imams Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, and that his main reliance in this was Ishaq ibn Mansur al-Kawsaj; then he made up by another route what he had missed hearing of certain chapters.
Here a second methodological benefit is confirmed: that “selection” in al-Tirmidhi’s sources is not arbitrary, but is tied to his scholarly environment, the nature of his shaykhs, and the hearing and transmission that were available to him.
The Origin of the Topic of ‘Ilal in al-Tirmidhi: al-Bukhari’s “al-Tarikh al-Kabir” and Discussion with Him
Among the greatest benefits of this section is al-Tirmidhi’s explicit statement that what he cited in the Jami’ of discussion of defects, narrators and history he extracted from al-Bukhari’s book “al-Tarikh”, and that much of it came through “discussion” (munazarah), mutual study, and question and answer with him and with other imams of this discipline, such as ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Darimi and Abu Zur’ah al-Razi.
Then al-Tirmidhi bore a great historical testimony regarding al-Bukhari, saying in substance: that he had not seen anyone in Iraq or Khurasan more knowledgeable of defects, history and knowledge of chains than Muhammad ibn Isma’il, may Allah have mercy on him.
This testimony is not mere praise, but a “statement of the value of the source” on which a large part of al-Tirmidhi’s method in hadith criticism was formed.
An Applied Example: Preferring Sufyan’s Narration in the Hadith of Ta’min
Al-Tirmidhi mentioned a prominent example that shows his applied method in ‘ilal: the hadith of Wa’il ibn Hujr on saying “Amin” (ta’min). He transmitted Sufyan’s narration, then cited the contrary narration of Shu’bah, then transmitted from al-Bukhari his preference for Sufyan’s narration, with an explanation of the places of error in Shu’bah’s narration (in chain and in text), and then he asked Abu Zur’ah, who agreed with him on that.
This example brings out a distinctive feature of the school of the early scholars (al-mutaqaddimun): a defect is not known merely by the abundance of routes, but by knowing what is preserved (mahfuz) from what is not, distinguishing error, and returning to the words of the great critics.
Why Did al-Tirmidhi Not Mention the Chains of Most of His Citations in the Jami’?
Ibn Rajab commented that al-Tirmidhi did not mention the chains of most of what he transmitted of schools, defects and histories, because had he set them all out, the book would have swelled and departed from its purpose; for he named it “al-Jami’ al-Kabir al-Mukhtasar” (the large abridged compilation), and he mentioned of them only what fulfils the aim.
This is a precious observation on the understanding of authorship among the early scholars: an author may possess the material with its chain, yet not set it out in a place that is not the place for detail.
Al-Bukhari’s Tarikh Is the Foundation of a Whole School of Criticism
To complete the benefit, Ibn Rajab indicated that when Abu Zur’ah and Abu Hatim came across al-Bukhari’s work “al-Tarikh”, they composed books on its pattern on names and defects, which shows that “al-Tarikh al-Kabir” was not merely a book of biographies, but a great treasury of the sciences of defects, of criticism and accreditation, and of history.
The Science of ‘Ilal Is the Science of the Elite… and the Danger of Speaking on It Without Qualification
Ibn Rajab concluded this passage with a quotation from the hafiz Ibn Mandah establishing that knowledge of this discipline is something Allah has reserved for a small number of people, and that many of those who write hadith, or study fiqh, or follow the books of passing thoughts, ought not to speak on hadith unless they have taken it from its people.
This is a methodological conclusion that resets the scale of the researcher: speaking on defects is not a field whose reality is attained by mere superficial reading; rather, it is a precise craft that is mastered only by keeping to the ways of the critics and understanding their approaches, and this is what distinguished Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy on him, in this commentary.
Conclusion
It becomes clear from this section that al-Tirmidhi was aware of his sources in fiqh and ‘ilal, that he narrates the views of the imams with chains and routes, and that the influence of Imam al-Bukhari on his critical formation is great and evident, especially in the area of defects, history and knowledge of narrators. Ibn Rajab’s words also reveal the depth of al-Tirmidhi’s craft, and the standing of the science of ‘ilal as a precious science in which only one who follows the path of its people stands firm.
May Allah reward with good Dr. Mahir al-Fahl for his beneficial scholarly explanation of this valuable book.
All parts of Benefits from Ibn Rajab's Commentary on al-Tirmidhi's 'Ilal