Skip to content
قQuranicpediaEncyclopedia of the Glorious Qur’an

Sunan Ibn Majah سنن ابن ماجه

In review — pending scholar verification

One of the six canonical Sunni hadith collections, compiled by Imam Ibn Majah (d. 887 CE).

Overview

Sunan Ibn Majah (سنن ابن ماجه) is the sixth and final of the canonical Sunni collections of hadith, compiled by Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yazid Ibn Majah al-Qazwini (d. 273 AH / 887 CE). Comprising roughly 4,341 narrations across 37 books, it covers belief, worship, transactions, and eschatology, and is often paired in study with Sunan an-Nasa'i, Sunan Abi Dawud, and Jami at-Tirmidhi.

Etymology

Ibn Majah is the kunya of the compiler; "Majah" was the byname of his father. The collection's title السنن (al-Sunan) denotes a hadith collection arranged by chapters of fiqh — distinct from a musnad (arranged by narrator) or a sahih (which restricts itself to authenticated chains). Inclusion in the الكتب الستة (the Six Books) was confirmed by later scholars such as al-Mizzi and al-Dhahabi.

Quranic references

Many of Ibn Majah's chapters open with verses establishing the obligation he then documents from the Sunnah:

  • Surah Al-Mujadila 58:11 — 'Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.'
  • Surah Az-Zumar 39:9 — 'Are those who know equal to those who do not know? Only they will remember who are people of understanding.'
  • Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185 — 'The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people...'
  • Surah An-Nahl 16:43 — 'So ask the people of the message if you do not know.'
يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ

Hadith and tradition

Ibn Majah uniquely opens with the Muqaddimah — an introductory book on the merits of knowledge, following the Companions, and the dangers of innovation. He preserves many sound traditions not found in the other five collections:

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim." — Sunan Ibn Majah 224 (Sahih, graded by al-Albani)
Abu Hurayra reported: The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever does not show mercy to people, Allah will not show mercy to him." — Sunan Ibn Majah 3027, also in Sahih al-Bukhari 7376

Some narrations in the collection are weak; for that reason classical scholars and later muhaddithun such as al-Albani produced explicit gradings of every chain.

Significance

Ibn Majah's organization is widely praised: each chapter heading functions as a juristic ruling, and the inclusion of zawa'id (additions not in the other five books) makes it indispensable. Scholars of tafseer such as Ibn Kathir cite its reports when explaining verses on the Hereafter, the Day of Judgement, and the trials before the Hour.

See also

References

  1. Muhammad ibn Yazid Ibn Majah, Sunan Ibn Majah.
  2. al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala.
  3. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Tahdhib al-Tahdhib.
  4. Yusuf al-Mizzi, Tuhfat al-Ashraf bi-Ma'rifat al-Atraf.
  5. Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Sahih wa Da'if Sunan Ibn Majah.