Summarized Sahih Muslim 2 Volume Set

Summarized Sahih Muslim is the 2-volume Arabic-English edition of Al-Hafiz Al-Mundhiri's classic abridgement of Sahih Muslim, the second most authentic hadith collection after Sahih al-Bukhari. In about 1,208 pages it gives 2,179 hadith in 70 books, with the Arabic text of each hadith and a clear, modern English translation. Al-Mundhiri removed the repeated versions and long chains of narration that make the full collection so large, and kept the text of each hadith with the Companion who narrated it. The result is the heart of Sahih Muslim in a set you can actually read from start to finish.

Sahih Muslim: the second of the two Sahih collections

Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri an-Naysaburi (died 261 AH, 875 CE) was a scholar of Nishapur and a student of Imam al-Bukhari. He travelled to the Hijaz, Iraq, Syria and Egypt to collect hadith and is reported to have selected his Sahih from around 300,000 narrations he had heard. Together with Sahih al-Bukhari, his collection forms the Sahihayn, the two books that Sunni scholars accept as the most authentic after the Quran.

Sahih Muslim is especially valued for its arrangement. Where al-Bukhari spreads the versions of one hadith across different chapters, Imam Muslim gathers all the chains and wordings of a hadith together in one place, which makes it easier to compare them. That same thoroughness is why the full collection is long, and why a reliable summary is so useful.

What Al-Mundhiri's summary keeps, and what it removes

Al-Hafiz Zakiuddin Abdul-Azim Al-Mundhiri (581-656 AH) was one of the great hadith masters of Egypt, best known for his collection At-Targhib wat-Tarhib. His Mukhtasar (summary) of Sahih Muslim does three things:

• It keeps one text of each hadith instead of every version Imam Muslim recorded.
• It removes the long chains of narration, naming only the Companion who reported the hadith.
• It follows the subject order of the original, so readers who know Sahih Muslim will find their way around easily.

Nothing is added from outside Sahih Muslim. What you read is the authentic content of Imam Muslim's book in a form that suits study, teaching and daily reading.

What is inside the 70 books

The two volumes cover the full range of Islamic life, following the order of Sahih Muslim:

Faith and purification

Iman, the pillars of Islam, the signs of faith, and the rulings of wudu, ghusl and tayammum.

Prayer, zakat, fasting and Hajj

The times and manner of salah, Jumu'ah, the Eid and eclipse prayers, zakat and charity, Ramadan and voluntary fasts, and the rites of Hajj and Umrah.

Family and transactions

Marriage, divorce, suckling, buying and selling, inheritance, gifts and wills.

Rulings, leadership and jihad

Oaths, vows, legal punishments, judgments, government and the conduct of expeditions.

Manners, virtues and the Hereafter

Food, drink, dress, greeting, the virtues of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions, righteousness and good relations, remembrance and supplication, repentance, the description of the Day of Resurrection, Paradise and Hell, the trials before the Hour, and softening the heart.

How to study Summarized Sahih Muslim

Because each hadith appears once, with its Arabic and English together, the set works well as a steady reading plan. Read one book at a time, starting with the Book of Faith, and note the hadith you want to act on or memorize. Teachers often take a single chapter for each lesson and discuss its hadith with students. When a hadith raises a question of fiqh, look it up in a collection arranged for rulings such as Bulugh Al-Maram, and for the explanation behind the words, a commentary on the Sahihayn. The full index at the back makes it easy to find a hadith again by subject.

Summarized Sahih Muslim: set details

Who this set is for

This set is a good first step into the major hadith collections for English readers. It suits students starting hadith study, families who want an authentic hadith book at home, teachers preparing lessons from the Sahihayn, and readers who want the content of Sahih Muslim without committing to a multi-volume set. Pair it with Summarized Sahih Al-Bukhari and you have the core of both Sahih collections on one shelf.

Related hadith books

• For the full Arabic text, see Sahih Muslim in Arabic; Urdu readers can choose Sahih Muslim with Urdu translation (5 volumes).
• For the other Sahih, see Sahih Al-Bukhari in English (9 volumes) or Summarized Sahih Al-Bukhari, and its classic commentary Fath ul Bari.
• For hadith arranged for daily practice, see Riyad-us-Saliheen; for hadith on rulings, see Bulugh Al-Maram.
• For a larger collection beyond the six books, see Musnad Imam Ahmad (English, Volume 1).

Browse the six major hadith books in the Sahah e Sitta collection, or the full Hadith collection.

Summarized Sahih Muslim: frequently asked questions

How many hadith are in Summarized Sahih Muslim?

Al-Mundhiri's summary contains 2,179 hadith arranged in 70 books. The full Sahih Muslim has several thousand narrations because Imam Muslim gives many chains and wordings for the same hadith. The summary keeps one representative text of each.

How is Summarized Sahih Muslim different from the full Sahih Muslim?

The full collection gives every chain of narration and every version of a hadith. Al-Mundhiri removed the repeated versions and the long chains, keeping the text of each hadith and the Companion who narrated it, so the core of the book fits into 2 volumes instead of a multi-volume set. All the hadith are still from Sahih Muslim.

Who compiled the summary?

Al-Hafiz Zakiuddin Abdul-Azim Al-Mundhiri (581-656 AH), the Egyptian hadith master best known for At-Targhib wat-Tarhib. His abridgement of Sahih Muslim has been used by students and teachers for centuries.

Does it include the Arabic text?

Yes. Darussalam's edition prints the Arabic text of each hadith with its English translation, so readers can check the original wording as they study.

How many pages and volumes is this set?

Two hardcover volumes of about 1,208 pages in total, with a full index.

Is Sahih Muslim as authentic as Sahih al-Bukhari?

Sunni scholars agree that Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are the two most authentic books after the Quran. Most rank al-Bukhari first for the strictness of its conditions, while Sahih Muslim is often praised for its arrangement, because it gathers all the versions of a hadith together in one place.

Is the full Sahih Muslim available?

Yes. Darussalam Store carries Sahih Muslim in Arabic and a 5-volume Sahih Muslim with Urdu translation. For English readers, this 2-volume summary is the practical choice.