hadith collections

• Mussanaf

  • comprehensive collection
  • beliefs, laws, rulings, piety, jihad, etc
  • collected and arranged in books or chapters
  • according to topic & subject matter
• Musnad

  • arranged according to names of narrator
  • second period of compilation
  • alphabetical order, tribal status, impact on Islam
  • e.g Musnad of Ahmed ibn Hanbal
• Mujam

  • means dictionary genius
  • various subjects arranged in alphabetical order
  • e.g Tabarani
• Jam’e

  • traditions related to the 8 topics
  • Bukhari and Tirmidhi
  • beliefs, laws, rulings
  • piety and asceticsm
  • manners and how to
  • history and biographies
  • quranic commentary
  • jihad
  • virtues and defects
• Sunan

  • legal traditions only
  • no historical or spiritual stuff
  • Abu Dawud
  • Nasa’i
• Mustadrak

  • compiler accepts previous conditions
  • but they missed some so they collect them ones
  • Mustadrak of Hakim al Nasaburi of Bukhari and Muslim
• Arbainiyat

  • 40 of special interest
  • al Nawawi