Al-Baittine Library Manuscript Series... 'Badī'at al-Bayān' Published

The Al-Babtain Central Library for Arabic Poetry continues its series of manuscript publications, having recently released a new volume titled “Badī‘ al-Bayān ‘an Mawt al-A‘yān” (Exquisite Exposition on the Deaths of Prominent Figures) in two volumes. The work is by the Imam, renowned hadith scholar, and historian Ibn Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Dimashqī al-Qaysī, who passed away in 842 AH / 1438 CE.

The volume opens with a foreword by Saud Abdulaziz Al-Babtain, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al-Babtain Central Library for Arabic Poetry. He highlights the importance of recording Prophetic traditions during the early days of the Successors (Tabi‘un), noting the fairness and trustworthiness of the narrators at that time. However, with the emergence of some forgers of hadith, scholars of hadith needed to rely on principles that ensured the authenticity of narrations and protected them from deception and fabrication. This necessity led to the emergence of a new discipline known as “al-Jarḥ wa al-Ta‘dīl” (Criticism and Validation), which aids in distinguishing reliable narrators from unreliable ones.

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Al-Babtain sheds light on the scholar Ibn Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Dimashqī as one of the most famous authors in this field. He notes that Nāṣir al-Dīn lived in the Levant during a critical period when society suffered from fitnas (strife), conflicts, and political and economic crises. Consequently, people withdrew from public life, and he devoted himself to teaching and writing, producing up to seventy works, the most famous of which is the poetic treatise “Badī‘ al-Bayān ‘an Mawt al-A‘yān.”

The book’s introduction discusses the scientific foundations and principles that support the intellect, which many scholars and specialists have studied. Among the most important of these principles is the establishment of the science of the classes of trustworthy memorizers (ḥuffāẓ). Many scholars, such as Ibn al-Dabbāgh, Ibn al-Jawzī, and al-Suyūṭī, classified scholars into classes of ḥuffāẓ. However, poetic composition (nazm) is considered more conducive to memorization and precision. It was customary for a master scholar in any discipline to compose a poetic treatise that summarizes and systematizes that field of knowledge.

Among the most famous of these poetic treatises is “Badī‘ al-Bayān ‘an Mawt al-A‘yān” by Ibn Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Dimashqī. Its value is enhanced by the fact that it was composed during the author’s lifetime. The introduction indicates that he composed the preface in verse, then proceeded to the first class, dedicating it to the senior Companions of the Prophet who were renowned for their memorization. He dedicated the second and third classes to prominent memorizers from the Successors. Following this pattern, his treatise began with the first century of the Islamic Hijri calendar and concluded with the ninth century.

The Al-Babtain Library dedicated the second volume of the book to an illustrated copy of the original manuscript, reflecting the library’s dedication and celebration of these unique and rare manuscripts, which embody the grandeur of the Arab-Islamic heritage.