A New Document on the Transmission of Knowledge in Islamic history An Edition of the Preliminary samāʿ List on the Sunan by al-Dāraquṭnī

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this article is to add a decisive new element to our current knowledge on how teaching sessions in have been conducted and recorded throughout Islamic history. This is done by editing a rare document containing the 'preliminary sama's' concerning readings of the Sunan by al-Daraqutni (d. 385 AH/995 AD), the preliminary sama's for the first part of al-Nasab by Zubayr b. Bakkar (d. 256 AH/870 AD), and a list of those attending a reading of a booklet containing hadiths by Dawud b. Rashid (d. 239 AH/853 AD). The secondary aim is to reflect on the identity of the writer of these preliminary lists and on the differences between these preliminary sama's (which we call 'awraq al-sama'') and the final sama' (the 'tibaq al-sama'').

Methodology: This study is based on the identification of a new 'genre' of documents ('preliminary sama's') produced in the course of teaching sessions. These documents are, in turn, philologically edited and then historically compared with other known documents produced in such sessions. A careful examination of these documentary practices allows us to understand the cultural logic of these documents.

Findings: Editing and studying these new documents adds to our understanding of such teaching sessions. The article thus argues the existence of a hitherto unknown documentary genre that is clearly distinct from the final sama' and constituted an earlier stage in the documentary practices of those involved in recording the attendance in teaching sessions.

Originality: The documents studied in this research have not previously been studied. Their publication thus adds entirely new primary sources to our field. More importantly, this study conceptualizes this type of document and thus significantly adds to our knowledge of teaching and learning practices throughout Islamic history.