The memorizer Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn Ali al-Asqalani, known as Ibn Hajar, completed the compilation of his encyclopaedic book "Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahaba" after spending nearly forty years collecting and verifying it, starting from the year 809 AH until the third of Dhu al-Hijjah in the year 847 AH, making this work the most important reference in the biographies of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
In the same context, the scientific methodology of the book is characterized by collecting biographies of men and women who were attributed with companionship, dividing them according to the degrees of their authenticity, supplementing previous compilations, and correcting errors in attribution, while balancing the opinions of scholars and verifying chains of transmission, relying on diverse sources that preserved aspects of historical material.
For his part, scholars praised the book for its compilation and editing. Imam Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi stopped at the author's effort in resolving contradictory issues, while the scholar Ahmad Shakr stated that it is the most comprehensive book on knowing the companions. Dr. Abdullah ibn Abdul Mohsin al-Turki said that the encyclopaedia is indispensable for the historian, the hadith scholar, and the literary figure due to the wide scientific material it contains.
He pointed out that the book has seen multiple editions since the nineteenth century AD, including an edition by Al-Sa'ada Press in Cairo, an edition by Dar al-Jil in Beirut edited by Muhammad Ali al-Bajawi, and an edition by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyah edited by Adel Ahmad Abdul Mawjud and Ali Muhammad Muawwad, reflecting the continued interest of researchers in verifying its text and studying its methodology.
He added that the author was born in Egypt in the year 773 AH and died in Cairo in the year 852 AH. He taught and served as a judge, leaving behind numerous reference works, the most famous of which are "Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari", "Tahdhib al-Tahdhib", "Lisan al-Mizan", in addition to "Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahaba".
These editions reflect researchers' interest in the book in terms of verifying and controlling its text, or studying its methodology and sources, or benefiting from its material in research related to Islamic history, hadith sciences, and biographies, which confirms the status of the work as a fundamental reference in this field.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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