Al-Mughnī fī al-Ḍuʿafāʾ (المغني في الضعفاء)

Author: Imām Shams al-Dīn al-Dhahabī (d. 748 AH)
Editor: Dr. Nūr al-Dīn ʿItr

Al-Mughnī fī al-Ḍuʿafāʾ is one of the most important classical reference works in the science of Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl (Hadith narrator criticism). Authored by the eminent hadith master and historian Imām al-Dhahabī, it is a concise yet authoritative biographical dictionary of narrators who were criticized for weakness, unreliability, or other defects affecting the authenticity of hadith transmissions.

Designed as a practical companion to al-Dhahabī's monumental Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, this work summarizes the judgments of the leading hadith critics while reflecting al-Dhahabī's characteristic fairness and precision. He frequently distinguishes between severe and minor criticism, notes scholarly disagreements, and defends narrators whose criticism was disputed or excessive.

This is the only authorized edition prepared and approved by the late Dr. Nūr al-Dīn ʿItr, one of the foremost contemporary scholars of Hadith. Carefully established from reliable manuscript sources, it features extensive annotations, source references, and a valuable introductory study on al-Dhahabī's methodology. Cross-references to major works of narrator criticism—including Al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr, Al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl, Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, and Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl—make this edition an indispensable resource for serious study and research.

Features

• The only authorized edition by Dr. Nūr al-Dīn ʿItr.
• Lists 7854 narrators
• Critically edited from reliable manuscript sources.
• Extensive scholarly annotations and source references.
• Introductory study on al-Dhahabī's methodology. It bridges the gap between concise handbooks (like Ibn Hajar’s Taqrib al-Tahdhib) and expansive biographical compendiums, providing a clear judgment on criticized narrators.
• Essential reference for Hadith studies, Isnad analysis, and Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl.
• Clear, large Arabic font—see the page images for a preview of the easy-to-read layout.