Writers of Hadith Collections before Kulayni

According to the author of the article, this study has been organized by comprehensive reference to indexes and the sources of authorities [of Hadīth] and intends to prove the hypothesis that there existed collections of Hadīth on all the various subject matters before the [compilation of] the Four Books of Hadīth and to briefly mention the authors of collections of Hadīth on all the various subject matters before Kulayni. A logical classification of traditions on the basis of themes is one of the best ways of [attaining] accurate understanding of Hadīths, [a method] which has been the focus of perennial attention of jurists and scholars of Hadīth since a long time ago. On this basis, collections containing Hadīths arranged on theme basis on all the various subject matters had been gradually written until the circumstances for compiling the Four Books of Hadīth were made ready at the start of the first half of the fourth century AH. In this paper, the author gives an account of hadith collections such as: al-Jami` fi al-Fiqh, al-Jami` fi Sa’ir Abwab al-Haram wa al-Halal, Kitab Mubawab fi al-Haram wa al-Halal, al-Jami` al-Kabir fi al-Fiqh, Kitab Mubawab fi al-Fara’id, and etc.