Thulathiyat Musnad Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal

Author: Muhibb al-Din Ismail ibn Omar al-Maqdisi

A compilation and authentication of the Hadith from Musnad where Imam Ahmad narrated with three narrators between him and the Prophet (PBUH).

The ascent in the Musnad is a rare and noble aspiration, as it signifies closeness to the best of creation, peace be upon him, and indeed, it is a means of drawing closer to Allah Almighty. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: "Seeking a high chain of narration is from the Sunnah." When asked about a person who seeks a high chain of narration, he said: "Seeking a high chain of narration is a Sunnah from those who came before, because Abdullah's companions used to travel from Kufa to Medina to learn from Omar and hear from him." Therefore, scholars of transmission unanimously agreed on seeking it and praised it, because it is closer to authenticity and less prone to error. Thus, from the loftiness of its goal, the nobility of its status, and the sound judgment, this pursuit is sought. There is no doubt that the best generations are the first three generations, as stated by the Prophet (PBUH), and from this comes the "Thulathi Hadith." This refers to a Hadith where there are three narrators between the compiler and the Prophet (PBUH): a Companion, a Tabi'i, and a Tabi' Tabi'i. Thus, the chain of narration comprises individuals from the three distinct generations mentioned in the reports from the Prophet (PBUH). The historian Hafiz Shams al-Din al-Samawi mentioned what he and his teachers found concerning high chains of narration up to the quadrumvirate (Ruba'iyat), then he said: "As for the Thulathiyat, in 'Musnad Imam al-Shafi'i' and other of his Hadith, there is a small number of them, and many in Musnad Imam Ahmad, and more than twenty Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari." Hanbali scholars paid attention to the Thulathiyat of this Musnad, so the Muhaddith Sheikh Ismail ibn Omar al-Maqdisi, who passed away in 613 AH, undertook to extract and compile them. However, death overtook him before he could complete it, so his companion in seeking knowledge, Imam Hafiz Diya al-Din al-Maqdisi, completed it. These amount to over three hundred Hadith from "Musnad Imam Ahmad." These Thulathiyat were extensively explained by the scholar Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Saffarini, who was one of the Hanbali scholars. Due to the importance of these Thulathiyat, work was done to authenticate and publish them in this modern presentation. The authenticator followed the order of the شرح (explanation) copy in the arrangement, because some of the original Thulathiyat had slight changes in order, and the Musnad of the Companion was dispersed from one place to another, and there was also repetition; the benefit of this is the multiplicity of Imam Ahmad's teachers and sometimes those who came after them. As for the additions by Diya al-Maqdisi, they began after Hadith (255).