The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 34
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 34 5. Al-Istī‘āb fī M‘arafatil-Aṣḥāb (2 Volumes), by Ḥāfiẓ Abū ‘Amr Yūsuf bin ‘Abdullāh bin Muḥammad bin ‘Abdil-Barra Al-Qurtubī, who died in 463 A. H. 6. Usdul-Ghābah fī M‘arifatiṣ-Ṣaḥābah (5 Volumes), by Ḥāfiẓ ‘Izz-ud- Dīn Abul-Ḥasan ‘Alī bin Muḥammad bin ‘Abdil-Karīm Al-Ma‘rūf bi Ibni Athīr Al-Jazrī, who died in 630 A. H. 7. Al-Iṣābah fī M‘arafatiṣ-Ṣaḥābah (10 Volumes), by Ḥāfiẓ Ibni Ḥajar ‘Asqalānī, who died in 852 It is worth mentioning that the last three books in the above mentioned list, do not directly relate to the art of Asmā’-ur-Rijāl , rather, they merely relate to the affairs of the companions of the Holy Prophet sa. Since both of these sciences are closely interrelated, these books have also been included in the above mentioned list. Books of Ḥadīth The knowledge of narration with respect to its types is divided into three categories: 1. Ḥadīth 2. Exegesis 3. Sīrat and History One aspect of the science mentioned last in the above mentioned list is also referred to as Magāz ī. In actuality, a Ḥadīth is a compilation of narrations, the primary objective of which, is the preservation of religious principles, even though exegeses and historical facts may find way of inclusion as well. Generally, Aḥādīth are comprised of those narrations the testimony of which, eventually reaches the Holy Prophet sa. In other words the last narrator in the chain states, “I heard the Holy Prophet sa state the following”, or “I saw him performing the following action”, or that “In my presence before the Holy Prophet sa , the following action was performed but he did not prohibit it”. However, a portion of such narrations is also found in the books of Ḥadīth , as are limited to the words and actions of the companions of the Holy Prophet sa alone and according to the phraseology of Ḥadīth , they are referred to as Āthār. There are countless books of Ḥadīth which have been written in the first, second, third and fourth century A. H. , but all of them are not of equal calibre. This is because all of the Muḥaddithīn did not employ the same stringent standard, nor were they equally vigilant. The eminent books of Ḥadīth , along with their facts