Author Bio

Imām at-Tirmidhī was born in 209 AH (824 CE) in the city of Tirmidh (in modern-day Uzbekistan). A student of Imām al-Bukhārī, he also studied under Imām Muslim and Imām Abū Dāwūd, while some scholars — including Imām al-Bukhārī himself — benefited from him in turn. He was known for his sharp intellect, precision in ḥadīth criticism, and immense piety.

His memory and scholarship were unmatched — it is narrated that he lost his eyesight later in life due to constant weeping out of khashya (awe of Allah). Imām al-Bukhārī once told him: “I have benefited from you more than you have benefited from me.” His Jāmiʿ was presented to the scholars of Ḥijāz, ʿIrāq, and Khurāsān, and was met with unanimous approval.

About the Jāmiʿ

This collection is formally titled: Al-Jāmiʿ al-Mukhtaṣar min as-Sunan ʿan Rasūlillāh ﷺ wa Maʿrifatu aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ wal-Maʿlūl wa mā ʿalayhi al-ʿAmal, meaning “The Concise Compendium of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, identifying the authentic and defective, and what is acted upon.”

Methods of Classification and Annotation

According to the commentators of al-Jāmiʿ, Imām at-Tirmidhī adhered to several core principles in his compilation:

1. He never narrated from known fabricators of ḥadīth.
2. As noted by Ṭāhir al-Muqaddisī, the Jāmiʿ contains four categories of narrations:
   • Those meeting the criteria of al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
   • Those conforming to the standards of Abū Dāwūd and an-Nasāʾī.
   • Those with minor discrepancies in chain (sanad) or text (matn).
   • Weak narrations relied upon by jurists (fuqahāʾ).
3. He accepted a narration reported with ʿan (indirect transmission) if both narrators were contemporaries.
4. After mentioning a weak narration, he clarified its weakness explicitly.
5. He accepted mursal (interrupted) narrations if supported by connected chains.

Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī holds a unique status among the six canonical collections. Most scholars rank it fifth in authenticity after Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, and an-Nasāʾī. However, others — such as al-Dhahabī and Ḥājjī Khalīfah — considered it to merit third place due to its organization, methodology, and clarity.

Special Characteristics of Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī

1. It is both a Sunan (legal compilation) and a Jāmiʿ (comprehensive collection).
2. Only 83 ḥadīth are repeated throughout the work.
3. Imām at-Tirmidhī often quoted only the relevant part of a long ḥadīth under each chapter title.
4. He classified every narration, indicating whether it was authentic, ḥasan, or weak.
5. He clarified the identity of narrators, explaining their kunya (honorific) or proper names when needed.
6. One narration in the collection is a thulāthiyyāt — with only three narrators between him and the Prophet ﷺ.
7. Every ḥadīth in al-Jāmiʿ is maʿmūl bihi — acted upon by jurists.
8. He presented various madhāhib (legal schools) along with their evidences.
9. He explained complex or ambiguous narrations in clear language.
10. The structure of the book is orderly, making it easy to locate narrations.
11. No fabricated ḥadīth appear in the entire collection.