What is the difference between the appellations: Musnad, Muwatta, Mu'jam, Shu'ab, and Sunan in Hadith books?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Musnad: Collects hadiths based on the Companion (e.g., Musnad Ahmad).
Muwatta': A book by Imam Malik ibn Anas, so named because he paved the way for people with it (e.g., Muwatta' Malik).
Mu'jam: Books that alphabetically arrange the names of narrators, either Companions (e.g., Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir by Al-Tabarani) or شیخs (teachers) (e.g., Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat by Al-Tabarani).
Shu'ab: Works such as Shu'ab al-Iman by Al-Bayhaqi, which explain the "Faith has sixty-odd branches."
Sunan: Hadith books categorized by chapters of jurisprudence (e.g., Sunan al-Tirmidhi).
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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