al-Jawahir al-Mudiyya fi Tabaqat al-Hanafiyya
- Author died
- 775 AH
- Editions
- t al-Hilu
al-Jawahir al-Mudiyya fi Tabaqat al-Hanafiyya (The Radiant Jewels on the Classes of Hanafis) is a biographical dictionary of Hanafi jurists and scholars compiled by the Egyptian Hanafi jurist and traditionist Abd al-Qadir al-Qurashi (696–775 AH / 1297–1373 CE) . It is considered the earliest comprehensive biographical dictionary devoted specifically to the figures of the Hanafi school of law .
Scope and Sources
Al-Qurashi authored the work in Egypt, drawing upon extensive historical and legal materials . He explicitly noted his reliance on his teacher al-Qutb al-Halabi, and incorporated material from Ala al-Din al-Bukhari, Taqi al-Din al-Subki, and his teacher Ala al-Din Ibn al-Turkmani (Ali ibn Uthman al-Mardini) . The book also extracted material from Persian historical texts, general chronicles, and Hanafi legal literature .
Structure
The work opens with an introduction arranged into three chapters:
- The Divine Names (al-Asma al-Husna) .
- The names of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
- The virtues and merits (manaqib) of Abu Hanifa .
Following the introduction, the main body of the work presents biographical entries arranged alphabetically by given name (ism) . This is followed by specialized sections organizing jurists by their patronymics (kunyas), genealogical or regional affiliations (nisbas), and honorific titles (laqabs) . The work concludes with a supplementary section entitled Kitab al-Jami', which contains diverse scholarly benefits and observations .
Reception and Abridgments
Hajji Khalifa observed that the text contained grammatical solecisms (lahn) and scribal misreadings (tashif), but remarked that the author was excused because it was the first dedicated biographical compilation of its scope for the school .
The work served as a fundamental reference for subsequent Hanafi biographical dictionaries, including works by Ibn Qutlubugha and Abd al-Hayy al-Lucknawi . It was abridged by Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Halabi (d. 956 AH), who restricted his selection to jurists who had authored books or were cited in scholarly texts . Mulla Ali al-Qari also abridged and augmented it in his al-Athmar al-Janiyya fi Asma al-Hanafiyya .
Publication History
The book was published in Hyderabad, India, by the Da'irat al-Ma'arif al-Uthmaniyya in two volumes (1332 AH) . A later critical edition was edited by Abd al-Fattah Muhammad al-Hulw and published by Dar Hajar and Mu'assasat al-Risala .
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