The Book Al-Firdaws bi-Ma’thur al-Khitab by Abu Shuja‘, Shiruyah ibn Shahrdar al-Daylami (445–509 AH): Verification and Study (From Hadith No. 11368 to Hadith No. 11370)

Abstract

This study deals with the verification and analysis of the book Al-Firdaws bi-Ma’thur al-Khitab by the esteemed Hafiz Abu Shuja‘ Shiruyah ibn Shahrdar al-Daylami (445–509 AH), focusing on the hadiths numbered 11368 to 11370, which pertain to the virtue of freeing a slave in Islam. The research problem lies in the fact that the currently published editions of the book contain numerous omissions and errors, and have not been subjected to rigorous scholarly verification, despite the existence of older and more accurate manuscripts. The study aims to investigate and authenticate the hadiths, preserve the manuscript heritage, and standardize the textual content, while examining the chains of transmission (asānid) and evaluating the hadiths. The research adopts a scientific methodology for text verification, which includes comparing manuscripts, correcting orthographic errors, documenting textual variations, and numbering the hadiths. In addition, it involves the authentication and citation of hadiths and reports from reliable sources, studying the narrators and their chains of transmission, explaining rare or unusual terms, and providing translations for obscure proper names and locations. The significance of this study lies in the fact that Al-Firdaws is an important source of prophetic traditions, preserving hadiths from now-lost books. Rigorous scholarly verification allows for the production of an accurate edition that serves researchers and those interested in Islamic heritage. The findings demonstrate the importance of the book as a primary source of hadiths. The study has clarified the author’s methodology in documenting traditions and provided recommendations for completing the full verification of the book, thereby granting researchers access to a scholarly edition that contributes to enriching the Islamic library and enabling precise study of the book’s topics.