Al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda wa-Manhajuhu fi Tahqiq al-Nusus wa-Nashriha الشيخ عبد الفتاح أبو غدة ومنهجه في تحقيق النصوص ونشرها

Al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Abū Ghuddah wa-Manhajuhu fī Taḥqīq al-Nuṣūṣ wa-Nashrihā
(الشيخ عبد الفتاح أبو غدة ومنهجه في تحقيق النصوص ونشرها)

Author: ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ʿAlī al-Muṭahhar
Academic Basis: Master’s thesis submitted to the Institute of Research and Arabic Studies, Cairo
Language: Arabic
Binding: Hardcover / Paperback

About the Book

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Abū Ghuddah (1336–1417 AH / 1917–1997 CE) was one of the distinguished scholars of Hadith and classical Islamic manuscripts in the twentieth century. His numerous critical editions of classical works are noted for careful manuscript study, precise textual verification, extensive source documentation, and detailed scholarly annotations.

This study by ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ʿAlī al-Muṭahhar examines Abū Ghuddah’s scholarly career and, more importantly, his methodology in researching, editing, and preparing classical Islamic texts for publication. Originally presented as a Master’s thesis at the Institute of Research and Arabic Studies in Cairo, the work provides a systematic analysis of the principles and procedures evident in Abū Ghuddah’s editions.

Structure of the Study

1. Biography and Scholarly Formation

The opening chapter presents an overview of Shaykh Abū Ghuddah’s life and intellectual development, including his education, teachers, scholarly travels, academic influences, and contributions to Hadith and Islamic scholarship. It provides the background necessary for understanding the formation of his approach to textual scholarship.

2. Selection of Texts and Manuscripts

The second chapter examines Abū Ghuddah’s criteria for selecting works for publication. It considers his attention to the importance of a text, the availability and quality of manuscripts, the scholarly value of the work, and other factors that guided his decision to undertake an edition.

3. Methodology of Taḥqīq

The third chapter focuses on the technical aspects of Abū Ghuddah’s method of textual editing. It examines his treatment of manuscripts, comparison of variant readings, verification of quotations and attributions, documentation of Hadith sources, identification of references, correction of textual errors, and use of scholarly notes and annotations.

Particular attention is given to the way he distinguished between the original text and editorial additions, documented textual variants, and employed classical sources to establish the most reliable reading of a passage.

4. Preparation and Publication

The final chapter examines the process by which Abū Ghuddah prepared his researched texts for publication. It discusses the organization of the edited work, indexes, headings, footnotes, typography, layout, and other elements involved in presenting a critical edition in a clear and usable form.

Scholarly Value

The book is valuable not merely as a study of one scholar but also as an introduction to the principles and practical procedures of editing classical Islamic texts. By analyzing the actual methods employed by Abū Ghuddah, it offers researchers an insight into the relationship between manuscript evidence, textual criticism, source verification, and scholarly annotation.

It will be particularly useful for students and researchers of Hadith, Islamic manuscripts, Arabic literature, textual criticism (taḥqīq), and the history of Islamic scholarship, as well as for anyone interested in the scholarly standards behind the preparation of reliable editions of classical works.