al-Mafatih fi Sharh al-Masabih
- Author died
- 727 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Nawādir, an issuance of the Department of Islamic Culture - Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf
al-Mafatih fi Sharh al-Masabih (Arabic: المفاتيح في شرح المصابيح, lit. 'The Keys in Explaining the Lamps') is a comprehensive commentary on al-Baghawi's hadith collection Masabih al-Sunnah, authored by the Hanafi jurist and hadith scholar Mazhar al-Din al-Zaydani (d. 727 AH / 1327 CE) . Covering nearly five thousand hadiths, the work is also referred to in bibliographical sources as al-Mafatih ala al-Masabih and al-Mafatih fi Hall al-Masabih .
Composition and Scope
Al-Zaydani composed the commentary at the request of his peers, who sought a balanced exposition that synthesized earlier commentaries without excessive length or disruptive brevity . A manuscript colophon at Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya records the composition date of its first volume as Ramadan 657 AH, whereas Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli stated that its composition was completed in 720 AH .
The commentary opens with a theoretical introduction to hadith terminology and sciences, divided into twenty distinct types; this introduction was also circulated as an independent treatise titled Ma'rifat Anwa' al-Hadith . Following an explanation of al-Baghawi's own preface, al-Zaydani proceeds sequentially through the hadiths of Masabih al-Sunnah .
Method and Sources
The author's methodology centers on clarifying unfamiliar vocabulary (gharib), resolving intricate theological and textual difficulties, parsing grammatical constructions, identifying textual variants across manuscripts, and establishing the exact vocalization and lineage of narrators not explicitly detailed in al-Baghawi's concise text . In legal matters, he integrates the rulings of the four Sunni legal schools, giving particular emphasis to Hanafi and Shafi'i jurisprudence .
Al-Zaydani relied on foundational references in hadith, linguistics, and Quranic exegesis, prominently drawing upon Abu Sulayman al-Khattabi's Ma'alim al-Sunan, al-Baghawi's Sharh al-Sunnah and Ma'alim al-Tanzil, al-Turbishti's al-Muyassar fi Sharh Masabih al-Sunnah, al-Wahidi's al-Tafsir al-Wasit, al-Jawhari's al-Sihah, Abu 'Ubayd al-Harawi's al-Gharibayn, Abu Musa al-Madini's al-Mughith, and al-Zamakhshari's al-Fa'iq fi Gharib al-Hadith .
Completion, Reception, and Editions
Al-Zaydani died before completing the commentary, reaching the chapter of apocalyptic tribulations (Bab al-Malahim) in the book of civil strifes (Kitab al-Fitan, hadith 4187) . One of his students completed the remainder under the title Tatimmat al-Mafatih fi Sharh al-Masabih, adhering to the same stylistic and methodological conventions .
The commentary gained broad circulation and became a primary reference for later hadith commentators. Al-Tibi drew heavily upon it in al-Kashif 'an Haqa'iq al-Sunan, designating al-Zaydani with the abbreviation Maz (مظ) . It was likewise frequently cited by Zayn al-'Arab, Ibn al-Malak, Mulla 'Ali al-Qari in Mirqat al-Mafatih, al-Kirmani, al-Birmawi, Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, Badr al-Din al-'Ayni, al-Qastallani, and al-Munawi .
A critical edition of the book was prepared by a team of scholars supervised by Nur al-Din Talib, based on four manuscript copies—including witnesses from Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya, the Chester Beatty Library, and the Taymuriyya Library—and published in Damascus by Dar al-Nawaadir in 1433 AH / 2012 CE .
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