A Look at Variant Readings in the hadith
by R. Marston Speight
The basis for this study is the Sahifa of HaMMAM B. (d. 101/719
or 132/750),") an early collection of prophetic hadith which the compiler, a
Successor to the Prophet’s Companions, is purported to
Existing in several manuscripts the collection contains about 140
texts. I have used the edition of MuHaMMAD which presents
137 ahadith in a collation of two manuscripts found in Berlin and Damascus.
Sahifa (“leaf in a notebook”, and by extension, “manuscript”) was a term
used to designate compendia of hadith that emerged during the century be-
fore the formation of the classical collections.*) Using the Sahifa of HamMAM
B. 111021488111 385 a control group I have compared it with about 1500 variant
readings of the same ahadith found in the collections of (Mus-
nad), AL-BuKHARI and (Sahih). These three books date
from the 3rd/9th century. Most of the variants have Abi Hurayra as their
first guarantor, but Hammam 8. Munassin is only one of a number of other
transmitters as the second link in the chains of authority. This choice of col-
lections for investigation is arbitrary, made in order to keep the paper
within manageable limits. The Sahifa texts are not necessarily the oldest
versions individually, but the collection as a whole is one of the most ancient
1) For his biography see Hagar AL-‘AsQaLAnt, Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, 12 vols.
(Haydarabad: Majlis Dairat 1325—28/1907-10.
Reprinted in Beirut: Dar Sadir, 1968), XI, 67, No. 106.
182 Al-Tabagat al-Kubra, 9 vols. (Beirut: Dar Sadir, 1380/1960),
5, 544.
2) Sahifah Hammam Ibn Munabbih: Arabic text of earliest extant work on hadith,
10th ed. (Luton, England: Apex Books Concern, 1399/1979). Another edition, using,
in addition, the manuscript from Cairo, is Fawzi ‘ABD
Hammam Ibn Munabbih ‘an Abt Hurayra (Cairo: Maktabat al-Khanji, 1985).
3) Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, s. v. “sahifa”. ABBoTT, Studies in
Arabic Literary Papyri, 11, Qur’anic Commentary and Tradition (Chicago: The Uni-
versity of Chicago Press, 1967), passim.
Der Islam Bd. 77, S. 169-179
de Gruyter 2000
ISSN 0021-1818
170 R. Marston Speight
in existence. Further, the consistent succinctness of its contents contrasts
with patterns of elaboration in many of the variant readings. For the
most part the variants of the Sahifa provide examples of the practices of
transmission described generally by the ancient manuals as expansion
(ziyada), abridgement (ikthisar), omission (. Ds baie . وليل‎ ) and in-
version (tagdim , among others. 2 texts
ts. On the
hand, the same ahadith as told by other transmitters in the three collections
studied show a rich variety of wording, again without changing the meaning
of the reports.
Typology of Variation with Examples
A. Rewording
In the first general type of variation texts are reworded, using syno-
nyms, similar expressions or different verb forms. The structure of the
text remains intact. Most often this structure or form is asimple affirmation
or injunction spoken by the Prophet, with no circumstantial introduction
or other detail. Examples:
1. When the prayer service is announced go to it walking in a calm manner.
Perform that part which you come in time for, and whatever part has already
been performed, complete it afterwards (Sahifa, No. 108).
Variants:
Do not perform the prayer ritual in haste, but got to it with calmness... (IBN
Hanpat, No. 6954).*)
When one of you hears the second call to prayer... (IBN No. 886).
To be sure, when you carry out the prayer ritual do not do it in haste, but do it
with calmness... (IBN HanBAL, No. 6952).
In addition to the above, six other variants to Sahifa No. 108 occur, all of
which use other synonyms or the same ones in slightly different
+) References are to the numbers in HanBAL’s Musnad as found on the CD,
“hadith Encyclopedia”, from Digitek International, 7631 Leesburg Pike, Suite B,
Falls Church, VA 22043-2520, U.S. A.
5) Inn Nos. 7339, 9459, 9722, 9947, 8609, BUKHARI, adhan, 21.