al-Darari al-Mudiyya Sharh al-Durar al-Bahiyya
- Author died
- 1250 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmīyah
al-Darari al-Mudiyya Sharh al-Durar al-Bahiyya (The Brilliant Stars: Commentary on the Splendid Pearls) is a work of Islamic jurisprudence by the Yemeni jurist and hadith scholar al-Shawkani (1173–1250 AH / 1760–1834 CE; also reported as d. 1255 AH) . It is the author's own concise legal commentary on his foundational primer, al-Durar al-Bahiyya fi al-Masa'il al-Fiqhiyya (The Splendid Pearls in Juristic Issues) .
Background and Composition
Al-Shawkani authored the core text, al-Durar al-Bahiyya, to provide a concise compendium of legal questions directly substantiated by sound scriptural proofs from the Quran and the prophetic Sunnah, setting aside reliance on ungrounded personal opinion (ra'y) and sectarian school conformity . Following its compilation, a group of scholars and students requested that he write an exposition of the text to unpack its meanings . Al-Shawkani postponed writing until he could re-examine the manual, revise what required correction, establish preferred rulings (tarjih), and clarify obscure phrases, subsequently producing al-Darari al-Mudiyya as a succinct commentary distilled from textual proofs .
Methodology and Scope
The work is structured as a non-madhhab-bound legal manual designed to deduce and substantiate rulings across all principal branches of Islamic jurisprudence, spanning acts of ritual worship (ibadat)—beginning with ritual purity (tahara) and prayer—as well as financial transactions (mu'amalat) and personal status laws . Al-Shawkani presents each juristic issue followed by an explicit evaluation of its supporting scriptural evidence, applying principles of hadith verification . Scholars note that his method in the commentary often presumes deep familiarity with prophetic traditions on the part of the reader .
Related Works and Legacy
Due to the widespread adoption of al-Shawkani's base text, al-Durar al-Bahiyya, several subsequent scholars composed separate commentaries and explanatory treatises on it:
- al-Rawda al-Nadiyya Sharh al-Durar al-Bahiyya by Siddiq Hasan Khan (d. 1307 AH), an expansive interwoven commentary (sharh mamzuj) that incorporates material from al-Shawkani's al-Darari al-Mudiyya alongside his gloss Wabl al-Ghamam .
- al-Adilla al-Radiyya li-Matn al-Durar al-Bahiyya by Muhammad Subhi Hasan Hallaq, which extracts, documents, and evaluates the hadith proofs underlying the issues presented in the base text .
- al-Ghurar al-Naqiyya 'ala al-Durar al-Bahiyya by Faysal Al Mubarak .
- Fadl Rabb al-Bariyya fi Sharh al-Durar al-Bahiyya by Ali al-Ramli .
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