الطبقات الكبير (الطبقات الكبرى) (طبقات ابن سعد) (

*_Al-Tabqat (طبقات)_ by Muhammad Ibn Sa’d raḥimahullah (d.203 AH)*

The book of Ibn Saʽd is considered the first book written in the field of Ṭabqāt (طبقات) second only to the book on Ṭabqāt (طبقات) written by his teacher Imām al-Wāqidῑ raḥimahullah (d.203 AH) which is not found today. The researcher of the book, Dr. Muḥammad ‘Umar states that contrary to popular belief, less than half of the book is taken from his teacher Imām al-Wāqidῑ raḥimahullah (d.203 AH). Accordingly, although Ibn Sa‛d raḥimahullah (d.230 AH) benefitted a lot from his teacher, Imām al-Wāqidῑ raḥimahullah (d.203 AH)’s book, there were other sources that he also relied upon including:

– The narrations of Abū Nu’aym al-Faḍl ibn Dukayn raḥimahullah (d.219 AH)

– The narrations of ‘Affān ibn Muslim raḥimahullah (d.220 AH)

– The narrations of ‘Ubaydullah ibn Mūsā al-‘Abasῑ raḥimahullah (d.213 AH)

– The narrations of Ma‛n ibn Īsā al-Ashja‛ῑ raḥimahullah (d.198 AH)

– The books of Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq raḥimahullah (d.151 AH)

– The books of Abu Ma‛shar raḥimahullah (d.272 AH)

– The books of Mūsā ibn ‘Uqbah raḥimahullah (d.141 AH)

Ibn Sa‛d Raḥimahullah (d.230 AH)’s book is divided into two sections:

*1) A section on men*

This section first focuses on the Ṣaḥābah whom he has placed into five categories:

1. The participants of the Battle of Badr, beginning with a biography of the Prophet Ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi Wasallam, his biography of the Prophet Ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi Wasallam is incredibly detailed in which he covers aspects such as the teknonyms of the Prophet, the names of the animals of the Prophet, the various signals used by the Muslims in the various wars, etc. This is the second most detailed biography that has reached us after the biography of Muḥammad Ibn Isḥāq Raḥimahullah (), at times providing more detail than Ibn Isḥāq himself.

This biography of the Prophet Ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi Wasallam is so detailed that some scholars, such as Ibn Nadim have referred to it as a separate book.

2. Those Ṣaḥābah who did not participate in the Battle of Badr, but they had accepted Islām early and they had participated in the Battle of Uḥud

3. Those Ṣaḥābah who participated in the Battle of the Trench and those battles that followed it

4. Those Ṣaḥābah who accepted Islām at the time of the conquest of Makah or following it

5. Those who were very young when the Prophet Ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi Wasallam passed away

He then focuses on the Tābi‛ūn and those who followed them; however, he has ordered this section in terms of geographical location. Hence, he first lists the Ṣaḥābah who lived in that city, and then writes the biographies of the Tābi‛ūn who took from these Ṣaḥābah, and then the biographies of the scholars who took from these Tābi‛ūn. He begins with the city of Madῑnah, then Makah, then Ṭā’if, then Yemen, then Yamāmah, then Baḥrain, then Kūfah, then Baṣrah, then Wāsiṭ, then Madā’in, tehn Baghdād, then Khurāsān, then Al-Ray, then Hamdhān, then Qom, then Anbār, then Shām, then Al-Jazῑrah, then Al-‘Awāṣim, then Al-Thugūr, then Miṣr, then Aylah, then Africa and then Andalūs.

*2) A section on women*

After the section on men is complete, Ibn Sa‛d begins his discussion on the women. He first discusses the women of the household of the Prophet Ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi Wasallam, then the Muslim women of Quraysh , then the other women of Arabia, then the women who performed the migration, then the women of the Anṣār and finally a biography of those women who did not narrate directly from the Prophet Ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi Wasallam but narrated from his wives and others.

*Methodology of the Book*

Ibn Sa’d is known for presenting a detailed biography of many of the individuals covered in the book. He pays special attention to the lineage of each individual. He discusses the key events in the individual’s life, as well as the the individual’s final moments and who performed the Janazah Salah upon the individual. He also specifies minute details such as the clothes the individual would wear, their physical appearance, whether they would dye their hair or beard, which finger they would wear a ring, etc.

*Prints of the Book*

While numerous incomplete portions of the book were printed around the 1980s and 1990s, the best and most complete print of the book is the print published by Maktabah al-Khānjῑ with the research of Dr. Muḥammad ‘Umar.

Taken with permission from:

*_An Introduction to the Books of Hadīth, the Sourcing of Hadīth and Al-Jarh wa’l-Ta’dīl_ by Muadh Chati*

Ismaeel Books