Muhammad ibn Abd al-Hadi al-Sindi
- Died
- 1138 AH
- Born in
- -
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Hadi al-Sindi (d. 1138 AH / 1726 CE) was a Hanafi jurist and hadith scholar from Sindh who settled in Medina, widely known for his marginal commentaries on major hadith collections.
Early life and education
Nur al-Din Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Abd al-Hadi al-Tattawi al-Sindi was born and raised in Thatta, a town in Sindh. He is commonly designated as Abu al-Hasan al-Sindi al-Kabir ("the Elder") to distinguish him from Abu al-Hasan Ghulam Husayn ibn Muhammad Sadiq al-Sindi ("the Younger"), a later scholar from the same hometown who likewise migrated to Medina.
After his early upbringing in Thatta, al-Sindi traveled to Tustar to pursue higher studies before journeying to the Hejaz and establishing his permanent residence in Medina. In Medina, he studied under prominent resident authorities, notably Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul al-Barzanji and Ibrahim al-Kurani.
Teaching and scholarship
Al-Sindi took up a teaching circle at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, where he became recognized for his expertise across hadith, Quranic exegesis, jurisprudence, legal theory, logic, and Arabic linguistics. Among his most prominent students was Muhammad Hayat al-Sindi, who succeeded him in leading his study circle in the Prophet's Mosque for twenty-four years after his death.
Al-Sindi achieved broad recognition for his concise marginal glosses on canonical hadith compilations, which aimed to elucidate textual vocalization, grammatical difficulties, and legal deductions without unnecessary elaboration. Among these commentaries are Fath al-Wadud on Sunan Abi Dawud and Kifayat al-Hajah on Sunan Ibn Majah.
Death
Al-Sindi died in Medina on 12 Shawwal 1138 AH / 1726 CE, though the chronicler Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti recorded his death in 1136 AH. A massive funeral attended by large crowds took place; local shops were shuttered, local dignitaries carried his bier to the Prophet's Mosque for the funeral prayer, and he was buried in the cemetery of al-Baqi.
Answer updated
List of Works
Hashiyat al-Sindi ala Sunan al-Nasai is a concise hadith gloss (taʿlīq) on al-Nasai's Sunan (al-Mujtaba). Intended to meet the needs of readers and instructors, the commentary focuses on text vocalization, grammatical parsing, and the clarification of obscure vocabulary. It also explains al-Nasai's chapter headings and underlying objectives while moderately addressing derived legal rulings.
Hashiyat al-Sindi ala Sunan al-Tirmidhi is a marginal commentary on Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi's hadith collection. Designed to elucidate difficult phrases and intended meanings without unnecessary elaboration, the work provides linguistic parsing, explains obscure vocabulary, notes textual variants, and examines both textual and isnad-related issues alongside jurisprudential discussions.
Hashiyat al-Sindi ala Sunan Ibn Majah, also known as Kifayat al-Hajah fi Sharh Sunan Ibn Majah, is a concise marginal commentary on the hadith collection Sunan Ibn Majah. Arranged according to the base text's organizational order, it employs a phrase-by-phrase gloss method to clarify obscure vocabulary, resolve grammatical structures, establish vocalization, and discuss legal implications.
Fath al-Wadud fi Sharh Sunan Abi Dawud is a concise hadith commentary and gloss on Sunan Abi Dawud. Designed to assist students and instructors during hadith lessons, the work summarizes key marginalia from Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's Mirqat al-Suʿud along with supplementary explanations, resolving grammatical difficulties, defining obscure terms, and clarifying legal deductions.