al-Maalim al-Athira fi al-Sunna wa al-Sira
- Author died
- 1434 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Qalam
al-Maalim al-Athira fi al-Sunna wa al-Sira (The Prominent Landmarks in the Sunnah and Prophetic Biography) is a geographical dictionary by the Palestinian scholar Muhammad Hasan Sharab (d. 1434 AH / 2013 CE) cataloging the places and landmarks mentioned in Hadith and the Prophetic biography . First published in 1411 AH (1991 CE) jointly by Dar al-Qalam in Damascus and al-Dar al-Shamiyya in Beirut, the work serves as a reference for identifying historical locations encountered across classical Islamic texts .
Purpose and Scope
Sharab composed the dictionary to address the challenges researchers face when encountering geographical names scattered throughout Hadith commentaries and classical gazetteers . He noted that modern writers frequently quote classical descriptions verbatim without accounting for subsequent administrative and border shifts—such as the historical scope of Yemen once encompassing southern Saudi Arabia, historical Bahrain denoting the eastern Arabian coast, or the differing boundaries of the classical military districts of Jordan (Jund al-Urdunn) and Palestine (Jund Filastin) . He also sought to update classical distances measured in parasangs (farsakh), classical miles (mil), stages (barid), and days of travel into modern kilometers .
The book includes landmarks mentioned in reports connected to the Prophet ﷺ as well as broader Hadith and biographical traditions, irrespective of the authenticity of the chain of transmission, leaving chain criticism to hadith specialists . Rather than detailing the exhaustive historical narratives or every incident associated with each location, the author focused on providing essential geographical identifications .
Structure and Methodology
The entries are arranged alphabetically according to the Arabic alphabet, beginning with the letter alif and concluding with ya' . For each landmark, Sharab's methodology consists of:
- Vocalizing and fixing the spelling of the name (dabt al-ism) .
- Defining its location relative to permanent major centers and stating its modern political regional designation to avoid ambiguity .
- Measuring distances in modern kilometers where available, alongside classical conversion estimates—such as equating a day's travel to roughly 80 kilometers, a farsakh (12,000 cubits) to 8 kilometers, a barid (four farsakhs) to 32 kilometers, and a classical mile to approximately 2,666 meters .
- Indicating whether the name has changed and whether the site remains inhabited or has fallen into ruin .
- Providing illustrative sketch maps and travel routes adapted from contemporary field researchers, especially Atiq al-Biladi .
Sources
Sharab drew his material from several categories of primary and secondary works:
- Hadith compendia: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Musnad Ahmad, Musnad Abi Ya'la, the Sunan collections of Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud, and al-Nasa'i, as well as Muntakhab Kanz al-Ummal .
- Biographical and historical literature: Sirat Ibn Hisham, the first volume of al-Baladhuri's Ansab al-Ashraf, Ibn Kathir's Sirat al-Rasul, and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya's Zad al-Ma'ad .
- Classical geographical works: Yaqut al-Hamawi's Mu'jam al-Buldan, Abu Ubayd al-Bakri's Mu'jam ma Ista'jam, and Marasid al-Ittila' .
- Topographical monographs on the Holy Sanctuaries: al-Samhudi's Wafa' al-Wafa, al-Fayruzabadi's al-Maghanim al-Mutaba fi Ma'alim Tabah, and Tarikh Makka .
- Contemporary research: Works by Atiq al-Biladi (including Ma'alim al-Hijaz and al-Ma'alim al-Jughrafiyya fi al-Sira al-Nabawiyya), Hamad al-Jasir's Bilad Yanbu', and Ibrahim al-Harbi's Kitab al-Manasik .
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