al-Taazi li Abi al-Hasan al-Madaini
- Author died
- 225 AH
- Editions
- دار البشائر
al-Taazi (The Condolences) is a classical Arabic work on bereavement and expressions of consolation compiled by the historian and traditionist Abu al-Hasan al-Madaini (135–225 AH / 752–840 CE; also recorded as d. 224 AH) . It gathers early historical reports, epistolary texts, maxims, and poetic verses on enduring grief and offering condolences .
Transmission and Survival
While Abu al-Hasan al-Madaini authored over two hundred treatises covering early Islamic history, campaigns, and literary reports, the vast majority of his corpus was lost over time, making al-Taazi one of his few surviving texts alongside his short tract on Qurayshite women (al-Murdafat min Quraysh) . The title was notably absent from the comprehensive bibliographical lists of al-Madaini's writings compiled by Ibn al-Nadim and Yaqut al-Hamawi .
The surviving recension is preserved through an isnad passing from al-Madaini to Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn al-Mutawakkil in Baghdad, then to Abu Talib Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Ukbari, to Abu Sahl Mahmud ibn Umar al-Ukbari, and transmitted by Abu al-Qasim Ali ibn Ahmad ibn al-Busri al-Bundar, with an auditory certificate (sama') noting the audition of Yaltakin ibn al-Sadid Tayuq al-Turki . Later scholars made reference to the text; Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani cited Kitab al-Taazi li-Abi al-Hasan al-Madaini when tracing narrations and statements attributed to the Companions and Successors regarding mourning and condolence .
Contents
The preserved work is divided into parts (ajza') containing numbered narrations that detail how early figures faced loss and articulated comfort . It opens with the report of the unseen voice (hatif) consoling the Muslims following the death of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . The subsequent accounts include:
- Consolation letters and speeches delivered to caliphs, rulers, and commanders upon the loss of relatives, such as condolences extended to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz upon the demise of his son Abd al-Malik .
- Anecdotes concerning steadfastness and patience (sabr), including reports of parents whose sons were martyred in battles such as Tustar and Gorgan .
- Poetic elegies and verse fragments cited by figures seeking solace in bereavement, including verses by al-Shamardal and Amr ibn Ka'b al-Nahdi .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscripts of al-Taazi are held in repositories including the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus and the library of the Islamic University of Medina . The work was published in Najaf in 1971, edited by Ibtisam al-Saffar and Badri Muhammad Fahd . A later critical edition was prepared by Ibrahim Salih and published in Damascus by Dar al-Basha'ir in 1424 AH / 2003 CE as part of the Nawadir al-Rasa'il series .
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