al-Taliq al-Rashiq fi al-Takhatum bil-Aqiq lil-Naji
- Author died
- 900 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Tawḥīd
al-Ta‘liq al-Rashiq fi al-Takhatum bi-l-‘Aqiq (التعليق الرشيق في التختم بالعقيق, The Graceful Comment on Wearing Carnelian Rings) is a specialized hadith treatise authored by Burhan al-Din al-Naji (d. 900 AH / 1494 CE) . The work gathers and critically examines the prophetic traditions, narrations, and claims regarding the legal ruling and properties of wearing rings set with carnelian (‘aqiq) and other precious stones .
Composition and Transmission
The author noted in his introduction that he dictated the treatise in haste, relying on concise allusions rather than protracted discussion, believing that the material had not previously been compiled and edited in such a manner . The manuscript transcription was recorded by Ahmad ibn al-Himsi in Shawwal 840 AH .
Scope and Contents
The treatise begins with discussions around the Prophet's ﷺ signet ring, citing al-Nawawi’s commentary on Sahih Muslim regarding the report that its stone was Abyssinian (fass habashi), which scholars interpreted as referring to onyx (jaz‘) or carnelian mined in Abyssinia and Yemen . Al-Naji then evaluates the specific hadiths that encourage wearing carnelian rings, endorsing the assessment of Abu Ja‘far al-‘Uqayli and Ibn al-Jawzi that nothing authentic is established from the Prophet ﷺ on the subject .
Among the specific areas covered in the work:
- Hadith Criticism: Al-Naji examines chains of transmission for traditions praising carnelian—such as تختموا بالعقيق فإنه مبارك ("Wear carnelian rings, for it is blessed") and تختموا بالعقيق فإنه ينفي الفقر ("Wear carnelian rings, for it repels poverty")—identifying fabricated or severely defective transmitters such as Ya‘qub ibn al-Walid al-Madani, Salim al-Zahid, and al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-‘Adawi .
- Other Gemstones: He assesses narrations concerning rings set with rubies (yaqut), emeralds (zumurrud), chrysolite/peridot (zabarjad), turquoise (fayruzaj), coral (murjan), and crystal (billawr), recording their hadith statuses and citing discussions on their purported natural and medical properties from authors including Ibn al-Athir, al-Dhahabi, Kamal al-Din al-Damiri, and al-Manbiji .
- Lexical and Scribal Corruption (Tashif): He reviews the claim made by Hamza ibn al-Hasan al-Isfahani in al-Tanbih ‘ala Huduth Tashif al-Hadith that the phrase تختموا بالعقيق was an error for تخيموا بالعقيق ("Pitch your tents in the valley of al-‘Aqiq"), characterizing the assertion as anomalous (shadhdh) and unacceptable in both wording and interpretation .
Publication
The work was edited by Jamal ‘Azzun and published in a single volume alongside other short treatises by Dar al-Tawhid in 1429 AH / 2008 CE .
Answer updated