Issues of Imam Ahmad, narration of Abu Bakr Al-Athram 1-6

Author: Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ahmed Al-Turqi Publisher: The author Type of cover: Hardcover Publication date: 1441 AH --- 2020 Edition numbering: First edition Recently issued: "Questions of Imam Ahmad narrated by Abu Bakr Al-Athram," compiled, verified, and studied by: Dr. Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Turqi, former deputy director of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet's Mosque, and former deputy director of the Islamic University for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, in six volumes, printed at the author's expense. This book contains more than two thousand questions about Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal from the narration of Abu Bakr Al-Athram. We find that Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal Al-Shaybani is among the scholars who took the lead in the nation, and one of the four approved madhabs. Imam Ahmad was blessed with students who followed his example and traced his footsteps, documented his jurisprudence, collected his questions, and spread all of that. Among the most prominent of these students was Imam "Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hani Al-Athram," who was considered among those who frequently narrated questions from him. Dr. Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Turqi volunteered to compile these questions with study and verification due to the value of these scientific questions, the greatness of their narrator, and the one narrated about. The researcher documented these questions from their sources, studied the jurisprudential issues, and if the issue was a consensus or agreement, clarified that during the investigation, supported by references from books of consensus and jurisprudential schools. Then, he listed the evidence. If the issue was disputed, he mentioned the disagreement and explained the status of Al-Athram’s narration within the madhab during the discussion of the issue. He presented the most likely opinion on each issue based on a comparison of the opinions of the four madhabs, with an explanation of the reason for his preference. The researcher attributed the Quranic verses, traced the hadiths related to Al-Athram’s questions, and sourced them from their original references, clarifying the meanings of strange words from language books or hadith dictionaries, and translated the scholars mentioned in Al-Athram’s questions. The researcher added indexes to this comprehensive work to facilitate benefit from it. We find that Al-Athram’s narration of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal’s questions is among the most distinguished narrations about Imam Ahmad, especially since he narrated from him extensively, with accuracy and precise transmission. Additionally, most of Al-Athram’s narrations agree with the madhab, which indicates his knowledge of the final opinions adopted by Imam Ahmad after verification and documentation, as well as the quality, good arrangement, and accuracy of his classification, making it a model for other questions in terms of good categorization and arrangement. Sheikh Yahya Al-Sarsari mentioned in his poem about Imam Ahmad and his companions: "And with Al-Athram’s narration, the questions of Ahmad distinguished *** For those who seek them, the diligent and contemplative" It is evident that many scholars of other madhabs, such as Ibn Abd al-Barr in "Al-Tamhid" and "Al-Istidhkar," which he transmitted with a continuous chain of narration, as well as Ibn Al-Mundhir in "Al-Awsat," and Ibn Hajar in "Fath Al-Bari," paid attention to these questions. This indicates the scholar’s understanding and Al-Athram’s keenness to emulate Imam Ahmad — may Allah have mercy on him — and to take from him and adopt his madhab. Efforts to verify these questions have been facilitated through unpublished university theses divided among several female researchers at the College of Sharia at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, by: Maha bint Suleiman bin Nasser Al-Shamikh, Abeer bint Ali Al-Mudafir, Noura bint Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, and Faten bint Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Mushref. Additionally, analytical articles on some of Al-Athram’s questions in the fields of criticism, modification, and narrators’ news have been authored by Khair Allah Al-Sharif and Dr. Amer Hassan Sabri. Although these extracted questions may be part of another book, titled "Al-Ilal" attributed to Al-Athram (?), this study by Al-Turqi is distinguished by being a complete printed version accessible to the general public, along with the editing and comparison of the text with the remaining handwritten copies of these questions. Thus, these six volumes are among the most prominent modern investigations of the complete version of Al-Athram’s questions, as follows: Volume 1: Questions in the chapter of Purity - Prayer (1-311 questions) Volume 2: Questions in the chapter of Prayer - Fasting (311-650 questions) Volume 3: Questions in the chapter of Fasting - Sales (651-984 questions) Volume 4: Book of Sales - Book of Dowry (985-1299 questions) Volume 5: Book of Numbers - Questions of Creed (1300-1734 questions) Volume 6: Questions of Hadith and its Men - Indexes (1735-2005 questions)