| Aspect | Detail | |--------|--------| | | The page number refers to the Beirut: Dar Sadr edition (popular) or the Leiden: Brill edition (critical). The Hyderabad (India) edition paginates differently—confirm before citing. | | Manuscript Variations | In the British Library manuscript (Or. 1615), entry 3714 lists a different minor narrator. Always cross-reference with Tahdhib al-Tahdhib by Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani. | | Strength of the Hadith | Do not use this report (h. 3714) as evidence in fiqh of prayer nights. Use Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 1145) for that. Use this for historical context of how later generations described the Prophet’s night prayer. | | Digital Access | Searchable PDFs of Vol. 3 often misnumber pages. The correct scan: p. 269 begins with the phrase "Dhikr ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah" . | Conclusion: More Than a Footnote At first glance, Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 3, pg. 269, h. 3714 appears to be a dry, archival citation. But for those who learn its language, it becomes a living window. On that page, we see a Basran judge (‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah) sitting in Medina with ‘A’ishah, memorizing the quiet rhythm of the Prophet’s night vigil. We see Ibn Sa‘d, in 9th-century Baghdad, diligently recording that memory despite his reliance on the controversial al-Waqidi. And we see the plague’s shadow—Rajab of 120 AH—claiming a generation of transmitters.
In the vast ocean of Islamic biographical literature ( ‘ilm al-rijal ), few works command as much authority and reverence as Ibn Sa‘d’s Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (often shortened to Tabaqat al-Kubra ). For the historian, the hadith scholar, or the student of early Islamic sociology, a citation from this text is a gateway to the 1st and 2nd centuries of the Hijri calendar. tabaqat al kubra. vol. 3 pg. 269 h. 3714
For the researcher, mastering this one citation means mastering the art of ‘ilm al-rijal : knowing that every number, every page, and every chain tells a story of trust, memory, and mortality. Whether you are verifying a hadith’s chain or writing a biography of a minor companion, this entry is a testament to the enduring structure of Islamic historiography. | Aspect | Detail | |--------|--------| | |