al-Rawd al-Unuf

al-Rawd al-Unuf (Arabic: الروض الأنف, full title: al-Rawd al-Unuf wa-al-Mashra‘ al-Rawa fi Tafsir ma Ishtamala ‘alayhi Hadith al-Sirah wa-Ihtawa) is an extensive commentary on the prophetic biography (al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah) by the Andalusian scholar al-Suhayli (508–581 AH / 1114–1185 CE) Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. The book serves as an explanatory gloss and scholarly analysis of the Sirah of Ibn Hisham (d. 218 AH), which was an abridgment of the foundational biographical compilation by Ibn Ishaq (d. 151 AH) Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1.

Composition and Purpose

Al-Suhayli composed the book by dictation in Malaga before traveling to Marrakesh, beginning in Muharram 569 AH and completing it in Jumada al-Ula of the same year—a span of roughly five months Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. Most of his works were produced by dictation because he had lost his eyesight at the age of seventeen Masalik al-Absar fi Mamal…+1.

In the introduction to the work, al-Suhayli stated that his objective was to clarify rare or obscure vocabulary (lafd gharib), ambiguous grammatical analysis (i‘rab ghamid), difficult or convoluted expressions (kalam mustaghlaq), intricate genealogies (nasab ‘awis), juristic implications that warranted highlighting (mawdi‘ fiqh), and incomplete historical reports for which he could provide supplementary details al-Rawd al-Unuf+1.

Methodology and Sources

al-Rawd al-Unuf is structured around the sequential text of Ibn Hisham’s Sirah, following its narrative from the ancestral lineages of the Arabs and the Prophet’s genealogy up through the events and military expeditions of the prophetic era al-Rawd al-Unuf+1. Al-Suhayli drew on over 120 written collections (diwan or musannaf), integrating disciplines such as lexicography, Arabic grammar, Quranic exegesis, hadith, jurisprudence, and genealogy, alongside his own reflections and what he had transmitted from his teachers al-Rawd al-Unuf+1. Throughout the commentary, he regularly examined grammatical justifications (ta‘lil al-nahw), evaluated morphological derivations, and addressed subtle rhetorical and theological questions raised by the historical narratives al-Rawd al-Unuf+1.

Reception and Related Works

The work brought al-Suhayli widespread renown across the Islamic world al-Rawd al-Unuf+1. Later scholars held the book in high regard: al-Dhahabi described it as an excellent and beneficial work, Ibn Kathir noted that al-Suhayli included refined observations on the Sirah unmatched by earlier writers, and al-Safadi called it a magnificent compilation al-Istidrak ala al-Istiab+1. Subsequent authors utilized its material extensively, including Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah in his Bada'i‘ al-Fawa'id al-Rawd al-Unuf+1.

Several later scholars engaged directly with the text:

• Abridgment: It was abridged by Izz al-Din Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Jama'ah (d. 819 AH) under the title Nur al-Rawd al-Rawd al-Unuf+1.
• Supercommentary: Chief Judge Yahya al-Manawi (d. 871 AH) wrote a supercommentary (hashiyah) on the book, which was later compiled and edited by his maternal grandson, Zayn al-Abidin ibn 'Abd al-Ra'uf al-Rawd al-Unuf+1.

Notable Editions

al-Rawd al-Unuf has appeared in multiple printings:

• An early edition sponsored by the Sultan of Morocco, Mawlay al-Hasan Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi….
• A two-volume edition published in Cairo in 1332 AH / 1914 CE Lamahat fi al-Maktaba wa ….
• A critical edition in seven volumes edited by 'Abd al-Rahman al-Wakil (1410 AH / 1990 CE) al-Rawd al-Unuf.
• An edition in seven volumes edited by 'Umar 'Abd al-Salam al-Salami, published by Dar Ihya' al-Turath al-'Arabi in Beirut (1421 AH / 2000 CE) al-Rawd al-Unuf.