Discussions on the term musnad and the problem of content and contextual of musnad type works –the example of Ibn Abbâs narratives-

The classification type known as "Musnad" emerged in the early third Hijri century within the realm of Hadith literature. This method was widely adopted by numerous scholars during the same century, leading to the creation of significant works. Pioneers in this field include figures such as Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi (d. 204/819), Nuaym b. Hammad (d. 228/843), and Asad b. Musa (d. 212/827), with the most renowned and comprehensive work in this genre being Ahmed b. Hanbal's (d. 241/855) al-Musnad. In such works, hadiths are grouped according to their narrator. The order in which each group of hadiths by a particular narrator appears, however, varies. It may correlate to the Companions' conversion to Islam, their tribal affiliations, or it may simply be alphabetical. Musnad compilations include all narrations, irrespective of their authenticity, such as whether they are marfu' or muttasil. The objective of this study focusing on Musnad texts is to identify the reasons behind the inclusion of mawquf and mursal hadiths, which ideally should not appear in Musnad compilations. Additionally, this study investigates the reasons that narrations attributed to other Companions may appear outside their designated chapters. This paper also delves into the historical context of Musnad compilations and discusses the various scholarly interpretations of the term "Musnad." In conclusion, the majority of narrations in Musnad compilations are marfu' and muttasil, signifying a scholarly consensus on the necessity for a narration to have such attributes in order to be included in a Musnad. However, there is an undeniable presence of mawquf and mursal narrations within these works as well. Analysis of these narrations suggests they were included for certain specific reasons and are not intrinsic to the original works. Similarly, the occurrence of a Companion's narrations in a Musnad other than their own can be explained through the same reasons identified for the inclusion of mawquf and mursal narrations.