al-Rasf lima Ruwiya an al-Nabi min al-Fil wal-Wasf
- Author died
- 797 AH
- Editions
- Mu’assasat al-Risālah
al-Rasf lima Ruwiya an al-Nabi min al-Fil wal-Wasf (The Alignment of What Has Been Narrated from the Prophet Regarding Action and Description) is a hadith and prophetic biography compendium compiled by the Shafi'i scholar and professor at the Mustansiriyya, Ibn al-Aquli (733–797 AH / 1333–1394 CE; another report gives 798 AH) . The work compiles the physical and moral traits, daily actions, and select sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ into a single thematic reference .
Purpose and Scope
Ibn al-Aquli states in his introduction that belief in the Prophet ﷺ necessitates knowing him, which is realized through five dimensions: his name, lineage, physical traits, actions, and sayings . While earlier hadith compilers generally recorded the Prophet's actions interspersed within his verbal statements because statements were regarded as more direct indications of legal rulings, Ibn al-Aquli sought to compile these actions systematically, noting that actions carry an added confirmatory weight .
Sources and Method
Ibn al-Aquli relied on established canonical and biographical texts, noting that his chains of transmission (turuq al-riwayah) for these works are detailed in his separate treatise, al-Dirayah fi ma'rifat al-riwayah . His primary sources include:
- Jami' al-Usul by Ibn al-Athir, which served as the primary basis for tracing narrations to original collections .
- al-Jam' bayna al-Sahihayn by Diya' al-Din Abu Hafs Umar ibn Badr al-Mawsili .
- Sunan Ibn Majah .
- Dala'il al-Nubuwwah by Abu Bakr al-Bayhaqi .
- al-Shifa bi-Ta'rif Huquq al-Mustafa by al-Qadi Iyad .
- al-Na't by al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi .
- al-Tabaqat al-Kubra by Ibn Sa'd .
To explain difficult vocabulary (gharib) and identify transmitters, the author drew upon Ibn al-Athir's al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith, al-Jawhari's lexicon al-Sihah, and Ibn Abd al-Barr's biographical work al-Isti'ab .
Structure
The book is arranged into seventeen thematic chapters (fusul), followed by an appended glossary section authored by Ibn al-Aquli explaining obscure terms (Sharh al-Gharib) :
- Names, lineage, states, prophethood, and the Hijrah .
- Physical traits and moral character (awsaf and akhlaq) .
- Clothing and garment colors .
- Adornment (zinah) and related matters .
- Equines (kura') and instruments of war .
- Camels and livestock .
- Freedmen (mawali), servants, emissaries, and muezzins .
- Dwellings, the Prophet's Mosque, and Medina .
- Acts of worship ('ibadat) .
- Transactions (mu'amalat) .
- Marriages and wives .
- Torts and prescribed punishments (jinayat and hudud) .
- Foods, game, and slaughtered animals .
- Medicine and incantations (tibb and ruqan) .
- Manners and etiquette (adab) .
- Future tribulations (fitan) and prophecies regarding unseen matters .
- Illness, death, and posthumous states .
Publication History
The work was printed in Damascus in two volumes in 1393 AH / 1973 CE by Matba'at Zayd ibn Thabit, and printed in Cairo in 1406 AH . A two-volume edition accompanied by the author's Sharh al-Gharib was published by Mu'assasat al-Risalah in Beirut in 1414 AH / 1994 CE, prepared using manuscripts from the Fatih Library in Istanbul and the personal library of Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur .
Answer updated