Al Madhkal ila Ulum al Hadith al Sharif

المدخل إلى علوم الحديث الشريف by Muftī Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Mālik is a highly regarded introductory work on the practical study of Ḥadīth and its sciences. First published in 1998, the book has gone through several editions and has been widely used in Islamic institutes and curricula. It provides students with a clear introduction to takhrīj al-ḥadīth, methods of locating and tracing narrations, researching the narrators of isnāds, and understanding the principles of jarḥ wa-taʿdīl and the grading of narrations.

The work is particularly valuable for its practical approach, introducing the major reference works used in researching Ḥadīth and offering guidance on how to verify narrations rather than simply relying upon their being quoted in later works. It also includes, at the end, Imām Muḥammad Zāhid al-Kawtharī’s important treatise Kayfa al-Sabīl ilā ʿIlm al-Sunnah.

The latest fifth edition is now available in a high-quality 306-page printing. The book has enjoyed enduring popularity for many years and was notably recognised as a best-selling title at the Cairo International Book Fair in 2021.

A particularly useful and practical introduction to ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth for students, teachers, and anyone wishing to develop a sound foundation in the methodology of Hadith Research.