Bedouin Narrators in (Gharib al-Hadith "A Lexicon of Rare Hadith Expressions", by Abu Ubaid (770–838 / 154–224 AH): A Study of Transmission and Impact

Abstract

This research addresses an important issue in the documentation of the Arabic language and classification of its dictionaries, namely the narrations of Arab narrators Gharib al‑Hadith "A Lexicon of Rare Hadith Expressions" by Abu Ubaid (770–838 / 154–224 AH):

 The research begins from the observation that Abu Ubaid, in his interpretation of obscure hadith vocabulary, occasionally relied on reports transmitted by Arab Bedouin narrators. Accordingly, the study examines these narrations and their impact. This research presents the role of Arab Bedouin narrators in Gharib al‑Hadith, Abu Ubaid’s methodology in citing their linguistic reports, his stance toward them, and the varying levels of linguistic value in their narrations.

This research concludes that Abu Ubaid accorded these narrations significant weight, generally accepting and relying upon them except in rare cases. Moreover, these narrations proved especially valuable at the semantic and lexical levels, surpassing their contribution to other linguistic dimensions.