Rumūz: Symbols Used by Ibn Ḥajar in Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb
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The Symbols and Their Meaning in Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
In Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar introduces a system of rumūz (symbols) to indicate which of the major ḥadīth scholars and collections have narrated the reports of a given narrator. The system lets a student see at a glance which of the six major ḥadīth collections (Kutub al-Sittah) and their related works carry that narrator's reports.
Explanation by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar
Ibn Ḥajar states:
وقد اكتفيت بالرقم على أول اسم كل راوٍ، إشارة إلى من أخرج حديثه من الأئمة.
"I have used numbers at the beginning of each narrator's name to indicate which of the imams have recorded their ḥadīths." (تقريب التهذيب – ص: 76)
Symbols for the Six Major Collections and Related Works
Ibn Ḥajar then sets out the rumūz and their references as follows:
Books of al-Bukhārī:
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: (خ)
- Muʿallaq (disconnected narrations): (خت)
- Al-Adab al-Mufrad: (بخ)
- Khalq Afʿāl al-ʿIbād: (عخ)
- Juzʾ al-Qirāʾah: (ر)
- Rafʿ al-Yadayn: (ي)
Books of Muslim:
- Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: (م)
- Introduction to Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: (مق)
Books of Abū Dāwūd:
- Sunan Abī Dāwūd: (د)
- Al-Marāsīl: (مد)
- Faḍāʾil al-Anṣār: (صد)
- Al-Nāsikh wa al-Mansūkh: (خد)
- Al-Qadr: (قد)
- Al-Tafarrud: (ف)
- Al-Masāʾil: (ل)
- Musnad Mālik: (كد)
Books of al-Tirmidhī:
- Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: (ت)
- Shamāʾil al-Tirmidhī: (تم)
Books of al-Nasāʾī:
- Sunan al-Nasāʾī: (س)
- Musnad ʿAlī: (عس)
- Musnad Mālik: (كن)
- Kitāb al-ʿAmal al-Yawm wa al-Layla: (سي)
- Khaṣāʾiṣ ʿAlī: (ص)
Books of Ibn Mājah:
- Sunan Ibn Mājah: (ق)
- Tafsīr Ibn Mājah: (فق)
Key Rules for Applying Symbols
1. Primary sources:
If a narrator's ḥadīth appears in any of the six major collections (Kutub al-Sittah), the corresponding ramz is used. No further symbols are added even if the same ḥadīth is also found in other works.
2. Comprehensive reference:
If a narrator's reports are present in all six collections, Ibn Ḥajar uses the symbol (ع).
3. Excluding the two shaykhs:
For narrators whose ḥadīth are present in the works of the four imāms (Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, and Ibn Mājah) but not in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī or Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, the symbol (4) is used.
4. Narrators outside these works:
If a narrator's ḥadīth is not found in the six collections or their associated works, Ibn Ḥajar assigns the term (تمييز), indicating that the narrator is included for the sake of distinction (tamyīz) rather than for any role in those collections.
5. Unmarked narrators:
If no specific ramz is assigned to a narrator, Ibn Ḥajar either mentions his status explicitly or includes him in an appendix with additional commentary.