The field of study known as Asmā’-ur-Rijāl refers to a science in which the biographies of the narrators of Ḥadīth and Sīrat, have been gathered in one place by critique, in order to assess the quality of the chain of narrators whenever a narration is brought before us. It is evident that this science is very broad and extensive, to such extent as based on the statement of Sir William Muir, the particulars of 40,000 narrators have been preserved through this science.1 Incontestably, in the history of mankind, this record is unprecedented. This collection is not a collection of random facts: rather, it has been prepared in accordance with authentic principles of critique. The date of birth, date of demise, place of residence, lifestyle, custom and conduct, level of scholarship, intelligence, memory and understanding, honesty and trustworthiness, the distinctive method of narration, names of teachers, names of students, the names of contemporaries, etc, of every individual narrator have been documented with complete authenticity and full specifics. The first individual who considered developing this knowledge into a formal science was Shu‘ba bin Al-Jahaj who died in 120 A.H. Subsequently, Imām Yaḥyā bin Sa‘īd Al-Quṭnī, who died in 198 A.H., further developed this field of knowledge and prepared its first collection. After him, ‘Allāmah Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh Al-‘Ajalī, who died in 261 A.H., and Imām ‘Abdur-Raḥmān bin Abī Ḥātim Ar-Rāzī, who died in 327 A.H., wrote many valuable books relevant to this knowledge and both of them named their written works Kitābul-Jiraḥ wat-Ta‘dīl. However, among the books of early scholars, the most complete and authentic written work is Kitābu-Kāmil fī Ma‘rafatiḍ-Ḍu‘afā wal-Matrūkīn, compiled by Abū Aḥmad ‘Abdullāh bin Muḥammad bin ‘Adiyy, who died in 365 A.H.2 In addition, Ḥāfiẓ ‘Uqailī and Imām Dār Quṭnī, as well as others, have also written books in this field. Regrettably, however, a majority of these books have been lost, though many references to these books however, do appear in latter works.
From the written works of latter generations, which are primarily based on early books, the following is a list of works which are most renowned and currently in circulation:
Al-Kamāl fī M‘arifatir-Rijāl, by Ḥāfiẓ ‘Abdul-Ghanī bin ‘Abdul-Wāḥid Al-Maqdisī, who died in 600 A.H.
Tahzhībul-Kamāl fī M‘arifatir-Rijāl, by Ḥāfiẓ Jamāl-ud-Dīn Yūsuf bin Zakī Al-Mazzī, who died in 722 A.H.
Mīzānul-I‘itidāl fī Naqdir-Rijāl (3 Volumes), by Ḥāfiẓ Shams-ud-Dīn Abū ‘Abdullāh Muḥammad bin Aḥmad Adh-Dhahabī, who died in 748 A.H.
Tahzībut-Tahzīb (12 Volumes), by Ḥāfiẓ Abul-Faḍl Aḥmad bin ‘Alī bin Muḥammad bin ‘Alī bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, who died in 852 A.H.
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.
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.
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 Prophetsa. Since both of these sciences are closely interrelated, these books have also been included in the above mentioned list.
1 Life of ‘Mahomet’, Sir William Muir, p. 575 (footnote 1), Reprint of the 1894 Ed., Published by Voice of India New Delhi
2 Kashfuẓ-Ẓunnūn, Volume 1, pp. 582-583, Under “‘Ilmul-Jarḥi wat-Ta‘dīl”, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon