al-Imla al-Mukhtasar fi Sharh Gharib al-Siyar
- Author died
- 604 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah
al-Imla al-Mukhtasar fi Sharh Gharib al-Siyar (The Concise Dictation Explaining the Obscure Vocabulary of the Prophet's Biography) is a classical Arabic philological commentary on the Prophet's biography (al-Sira al-Nabawiyya) by the Andalusian scholar Abu Dharr al-Khushani (d. 604 AH / 1207 CE) .
Composition and Purpose
The work is a specialized commentary on the seminal biography of the Prophet Muhammad compiled by Ibn Ishaq and redacted by Ibn Hisham . Al-Khushani states in his introduction that he dictated the text directly from memory when the Sira was heard and transmitted through him . He composed it to explain obscure vocabulary, unravel ambiguous phrasing, and clarify difficult expressions with brevity and precision .
Al-Khushani notes that he did not initially set out to author an expansive, multi-chapter treatise, but rather considered it a spontaneous compilation; he only permitted its formal transmission after reviewing the completed text at the urging of his students .
Method and Content
The commentary focuses strictly on the linguistic, philological, and genealogical dimensions of the biographical narrative rather than providing a comprehensive retelling of historical events . Al-Khushani proceeds sequentially through the Sira, beginning with the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad and the pre-Islamic genealogical accounts .
In his analysis, he provides morphological derivations, defines rare poetic and prose vocabulary, resolves textual vocalizations, and evaluates variant genealogical chains . He draws upon established lexicographical and hadith authorities, citing scholars such as al-Daraqutni, Abu Ali al-Ghassani, Ibn al-Dabbagh, and Ibn Abi al-Khisal, often pointing out textual corrections and weighing preferred transmissions .
Reception and Editions
The text is considered one of the earliest and most prominent Andalusian commentaries dedicated to elucidating Sirat Ibn Hisham, alongside al-Suhayli's al-Rawd al-Unuf . Al-Salihi al-Shami observed that despite its concise nature, it is exceptionally useful .
Manuscripts of the work—sometimes titled Tafsir Gharib Abyat al-Sira al-Nabawiyya—are preserved in several libraries, including the Ragıp Paşa library (MS 975, dated 707 AH), the Zahiriyya library (Tafsir MS 12, dated 871 AH), and the al-Qarawiyyin library in Fez (MS 287, dated 641 AH) . The book was edited by Paul Brönnle and published in a single volume (Cairo: Matba'at Hindiyya, 1329 AH; reissued in Beirut) and has also been published in an edition edited by Abd al-Karim Khalifah .
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