al-Amali li-Murtada al-Zabidi

al-Amali li-Murtada al-Zabidi (The Dictations by Murtada al-Zabidi) is a collection of hadith dictation sessions delivered by the Indian-born polymath Murtada al-Zabidi (1145–1205 AH / 1732–1791 CE), compiling transmitted traditions, chains of narration, commentary, and literary verses al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za…+1.

Context and Composition

Al-Zabidi delivered these dictations from memory and oral recitation (imlaʾ min hifzihi wa-lafzihi) following his teaching sessions on Kitab al-Shama'il by Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za…. The assemblies were held at the lodge (zawiyah) of Shams al-Din Abi Mahmud al-Hanafi in Cairo al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za…+1. The author gathered these transcripts to preserve historical reports (athār) and revive the classical scholarly tradition of hadith dictation assemblies (imlaʾ), which had largely ceased in Egypt following the era of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and his students al-Sakhawi and al-Suyuti al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za…+1.

The dictation assemblies were conducted regularly—notably on Mondays and Thursdays, with preserved session entries dating to Dhu al-Qiʿdah and Dhu al-Hijjah of 1189 AH—and eventually accumulated to approximately four hundred gatherings collected across multiple volumes Muntaha al-Suul ala Wasai…+2.

Methodology and Structure

Each session in al-Amali adheres to the method of early hadith masters by articulating full chains of transmission (asānīd), evaluating transmitters, and comparing pathways across major canonical and auxiliary works al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za…+1.

The work opens with the tradition of primordial mercy (al-hadith al-musalsal bi-l-awwaliyyah): الراحمون يرحمهم الرحمن تبارك وتعالى ارحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء ("The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful, Blessed and Exalted is He; have mercy upon those on earth, and the One in heaven will have mercy upon you") al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za…+1. Al-Zabidi received this tradition via teachers including Muhammad b. Salim al-Hifni in Darb al-Atrak and al-Hasan b. Ali al-Mada'ini in Harat al-Madabigh in Cairo in 1167 AH al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za….

Beyond hadith appraisal, al-Zabidi integrated specialized narrations and literary selections, including:

• High chains (ʿuluww) and unique transmission lines, such as a report concerning the physical descriptions of the Prophet ﷺ transmitted successively through six Abbasid caliphs al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za…+1.
• Singly-transmitted reports (afrād), such as the narration of al-Sa'ib b. Yazid regarding the blessing bestowed upon his youth al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za…+1.
• Transmitted poetry accompanied by chains of audition, such as devotional verses composed by Abu al-Qasim al-Suhayli al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za….
• Cross-references to his other specialized monographs, such as al-Riqat al-ʿAliyyah fi al-Hadith al-Musalsal bi-l-Awwaliyyah al-Amali li-Murtada al-Za….