Abd al-Qadir al-Arna'ut

Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Arna'ut (1347-1425 AH / 1928-2004 CE) was a Syrian hadith scholar of Albanian origin who became one of the most important editors and verifiers (muhaqqiq) of classical Islamic texts in the 20th century. Born in Damascus into a family of Albanian descent, he studied under major Syrian scholars including Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah.

Al-Arna'ut dedicated his scholarly life to the critical editing and authentication of classical Islamic texts. He was part of a generation of Syrian scholars who systematized the methodology of hadith authentication and produced meticulously verified editions of classical works. His most significant contribution is his grading and authentication of hadiths in the various editions of classical texts he edited.

His most important editorial work is his critical edition of and authentication work on Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, a monumental project in which he graded and commented upon the vast hadith literature of Ahmad ibn Hanbal's collection. He also produced authenticated editions of Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan Abu Dawud, Jami' at-Tirmidhi, and many other classical works. His annotations on these collections — evaluating the reliability of narrators and the status of narrations — are widely cited by contemporary scholars.

He collaborated with his brother Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut on many of these projects. Al-Arna'ut passed away in Damascus in 2004. His editorial work has made the hadith literature more accessible for scholarly verification and is indispensable for contemporary hadith research.