There is a book by Ibn Hajar al-‘Aqsallaani entitled Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb. What does this title mean, and what is the story of this book?
This book is a highly condensed summary of a large book about the names and status of narrators of hadeeth.
Al-Haafiz al-Maqdisi (may Allaah have mercy on him) wrote his book entitled al-Kamaal fi Asma’ al-Rijaal, in which he recorded the sayings of the imams concerning the narrators of the two Saheehs and the four Sunans, relying on the histories of al-Bukhaari, the book of Ibn Abi Haatim, the book of Ibn Mu’een, his companions and so on.
Then al-Haafiz al-Mazzi shortened the book and called it Tahdheeb al-Kamaal. Then Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani shortened it further and added some material that was omitted by the two earlier scholars, which was a great deal of material. He called this summary Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb. Then he condensed it further in the book called Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb.
