Hadith manuscripts


There are numerous hadith manuscripts from the first four centuries after the death of Muhammad. The number increases drastically in the following two centuries.

632-1032CE

MS. Leiden Or. 298

This is a book titled Gharib Al-Hadith. It was written by an early Islamic scholar, Abu Ubaid al-Qasim bin Salam. There's an incomplete manuscript of this book dated back to 252 AH. It is now kept at Leiden University Libraries. A digital version of the manuscript is available via Leiden University Libraries’ Digital Collections.

Jami' of Ma'mar ibn Rashid

This is one of the earliest collection of hadith that was compiled by Imam Ma'mar ibn Rashid. Two manuscripts of this book have been found in Turkey. One of them is from Ankara and dating back to 364 AH. Another one is in Istanbul.

Ar-Risalah

This book was written by the early Islamic scholar, Shafi‘i. Even though this is not a book written specifically in the field of hadith, it still contains dozens of hadiths. There are two manuscripts of this book at the National Library in Cairo. The first known as the manuscript of Ibn Jama'ah and the second one is the manuscript of Ar-Rabi'. Bernhard Moritz, the German orientalist dates the Ar-Rabi's manuscript to the middle of fourth century AH while Ahmad Muhammad Shakir dated it to shortly before 270 AH.

Abridged Sahih Bukhari

This is the oldest arabic manuscript kept at the National Library of Bulgaria. It was dated to 407 AH. It contains books 65 through 69 of Sahih Bukhari but book 65 is incomplete. It can be viewed online at World Digital Library official website.

1033-1232CE

Khuda Baksh Library No. 191

It is one of the oldest copies of Sahih Muslim. This copy has an Ijazah, leading to the author Muslim bin Hajjaj. While it has not been carbon dated yet, based on the notes on the margin it is evident that this copy was made before 486 AH as one of the people that studied it is Abū Bakr Muhammad Bin Zahid al-Ṭūsī who died in the year 486 AH.

Al-Assad National Library no. 9388

This is a manuscript of Sahih Muslim of Imam Muslim. It was kept at the Al-Assad National Library in Damascus,Syria and was dated to the fifth century AH/11th century CE.

Khuda Baksh Library No. 218

This is a fine incomplete copy of Sunan Nisai. The scribe divided this into several parts out of which 7th, 8th and a portion of 10th part survive. While it has not been Carbon Dated yet, based on the notes this manuscript was studied by several famous traditionalists such as
  • Abu al-Hassan Masad al-Khair Bin Muhammad Bin Mahl al-Asari
  • Abu al-fazal Muhammad bin Naser bin Muhammad bin Ali al-Baghdadi
  • Abu al-Nakhib Abdal Qahir Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad Bin Amaryah al-Sahr wardi

    MS Leiden Or. 101

This is a manuscript of Jami' At-Tirmidhi of Imam Muhammad bin Isa At-Tirmidhi. It was dated to 540 AH and is now preserved at Leiden University Libraries. A digital version of the manuscript is available via Leiden University Libraries’ Digital Collections.

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari

This is a 20 folio manuscript of Sahih Bukhari which is located in Qatar National Library. It was written in 1174-1175 CE. The text is in Andalusi script, using black ink. This manuscript was most probably produced in Al-Andalus. A digital version of this manuscript is available online.

Khuda Baksh Library No. 211

This is an incomplete Copy of Sunan Tirmidhi which was written in the year 572 AH in fine bold naskh script. It contains 269 Folios, 22 lines each. An Ijazah is also mentioned leading to the author Al-Tirmidhi. The text has been collated with several notes.

Khuda Baksh Library No. 209

This is a very old copy of the 3rd and last part of Sunan Abi Dawood written in naskh script. It contains 191 folios, 22 lines each. A colophon states that this copy was written in Alexandria in the year 576 AH and compared with another copy which belonged to Sanad Bin 'Inan al Azdi who copied it from another copy belonging to Tartusi. From Tartusi the scribe mentions an Ijazah leading to the author Abu Dawud al-Sijistani. A letter of Abu Dawud describing his sunan to the people of Makkah is also present on the folios with the same chain of narration.

Princeton University library Garrett no. 4999Yq

This manuscript contains 4 complete Books written by Abu Dawud al-Sijistani:
  1. Sunan Abi Dawood
  2. Risālat Abu Dāwūd
  3. Kitab Al-Marasil
  4. Tasmiyat shuyukh
It is written in black Maghrebi script on Glazed light cream paper with horizontal laid lines still visible. It contains Collation notes, Marginal notes and Catchword on the verso of each leaf, written on 243 pages, 41 lines each page. It is stated that the copy was completed on Friday 25 Ramadan 589 AH.

Khuda Baksh Library No. 255

This is a Manuscript of Musnad al-Firdous written in naskh script. It is not dated but apparently it is from 13th century CE/ 7th Century AH.

Khuda Baksh Library No. 241

It is one of the oldest copies of Musnad al-Tayalisi. It contains an Ijazah ending with Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi. It is divided into 10 parts. Each except the ninth part has autographs of many male and female traditionalists, numbering not less than 300, all in the 7th and 8th century AH who studied from this manuscript. A note dated 707 AH says that Abdallah Bin Ahmad Bin Abdallah studied the work jointly with Al-Dhahabi, Bali and others from the present copy under Ibn an Nuhhas in Madrasa Ashrafiyah of Damascus. This copy, through not carbon dated is evident that it was made in or before 7th century AH. Another note also says Afifaddin, studied this manuscript under Ibn Khalil. It consists of 344 folios, 20 lines each.

1233-1432CE

Khuda Baksh Library No. 245

This is an incomplete Copy of Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal in naskh script. It contains 1776 Hadith. A note towards the end tells us that Ahmad az Zaftawi, a decentand of Siraj al Hindi, and a Qadi al-Qudat of Egypt sold this manuscript to Madrasah Muhmadiya in Samarkand and another note states that this copy was compared with a copy of the Musnad that belonged to Shaikh Muhammad Khalil al Makki in 633 AH. It was also studied by "Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Umer Bin Abdullah bin Abd an Nasir" who according to the autograph note of his father, was born in 603 AH. While this manuscript has not been carbon dated yet, it was made either in or before 633 AH.

Manuscript of Sunan Abi Dawood

This is a manuscript of Sunan abi dawud which is dated from 1250-1299 CE written in Cairo and contains 79 pages. It is located in Michigan library.

Princeton University Library Garrett no. 95Y

This is a manuscript of fourth part of an abridgement of Sunan Abi Dawud. According to the end of this copy, the work was completed by its author on Monday, 7 Dhu al-Qadah 654 AH in Dar al-hadith. A note at the end of the text gives biographical details on the author, and also mentions a fire that occurred in Medina that year. It consists of 257 pages, 27 lines per page written on thick light cream paper, glossy, with thick laid lines, pulp, and a few chain lines visible. Red ink is used for headings and entries. The last letters of a word at the end of the line are sometimes written on the margin.

Dublin copy of Sahih Bukhari

This is a manuscript of Sahih Bukhari kept at Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Ireland. It was copied by Ahmad bin Ali bin Abdul Wahhab in the fine calligraphic naskh script and was dated to 8 Muharram 694/ 28 November 1294.

King Saud University No. 2468

This copy of Sahih Muslim was written ]in 8th century AH in fine naskh script. It consists of 298 pages. A digital version of this manuscript is available online.

King Saud University No. 673

This copy of Sahih Bukhari was written in 8th century AH. It consists of 231 pages. A digital version of this manuscript is available online.

King Saud University No. 4279

This is a partial copy of Sahih Bukhari was also written in 8th century AH. It consists of 19 pages. A digital version of this manuscript is available online.

Manuscript of Sahih Muslim

This is an illuminated manuscript of Sahih Muslim located in National Library of Israel. It was copied by the scribe "Muḥammad bin ʿAlī bin ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Jandī al-Qirīmī" and completed on the first day of Sha'ban in 711 AH. It compromises of 405 pages, written in Damascus. It also includes at Ijazah leading to Muslim Bin Hajjaj. A digital version is available online.

Khuda Baksh Library No. 212

This is an Incomplete manuscript of Sunan al-Tirmidhi. The manuscript bears an Ijazah dated 707 AH granted by "Yusuf Bin Abdal Hadi" to some of his students.

Manuscript of Sahih Muslim

This is a Manuscript of Sahih Muslim located in National Library of Israel which was written in the year 748 AH. It was originally written in four volumes of which three survive today. Two of the three manuscripts are illuminated. A digital version is available online.

MSS 311

This is a Complete copy of Sahih Bukhari in a single Volume which is preserved in Khalili Collection of Islamic Art from late 14th century to early 15th century CE, probably written in Egypt. It consists of 252 folios written in ink, gold and opaque watercolour in naskh script.

Princeton University Garrett no. 687H

This is a manuscript of Sahih Bukhari. It consists of 293 Pages, 17 lines each. It contains a few marginal notes and glosses. The last eight folios pertain to another section. It is Rubricated with vowel signs on paper tinted reddish-brown papers. The manuscript is in poor condition with loose, worm-eaten, stained and fragile pages. It was written in 14th century CE.

Princeton University Garrett no. 2506q

This is a manuscript of sahih bukhari which was written in 14th Century CE. A digital version of this manuscript is available online.