al-Tuhfa al-Latifa fi Tarikh al-Madina al-Sharifa
- Author died
- 902 AH
- Editions
- t Markaz Dirasat al-Madina
al-Tuhfa al-Latifa fi Tarikh al-Madina al-Sharifa (The Elegant Gift on the History of the Noble City) is a biographical and historical work on Medina composed by the Shafi'i hadith scholar and historian Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi (831–902 AH / 1427–1497 CE).
Scope and Content
The work belongs to the genre of local histories of Medina that Muslim scholars composed beginning in the second century AH. Chronologically, it covers an extensive timeframe spanning from the early pre-Islamic foundation of Yathrib to the author's own lifetime in the late ninth century AH, continuing down to the final year of his life in Sha'ban 902 AH and recording events and figures who died shortly before his own death.
The text focuses primarily on biographical entries of notable figures who lived in, visited, or were connected to Medina, including a concise autobiography that al-Sakhawi provided for himself. It also documents the scholarly curriculum and intellectual culture of the city, detailing the texts that students memorized, the books they studied, the subjects in which they obtained teaching licenses (ijazat), and the scholars who held teaching circles in the Prophet's Mosque and local madrasas.
Sources and Method
Al-Sakhawi drew upon a wide range of earlier hadith, biographical, and historical works:
- Companions: Primarily from al-Isaba by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Isti'ab by Ibn Abd al-Barr, and al-Tabaqat al-Kubra by Ibn Sa'd.
- Later Generations: Biographical dictionaries such as al-Tarikh al-Kabir by al-Bukhari, al-Thiqat by Ibn Hibban, al-Jarh wa-l-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim, and Tahdhib al-Kamal by al-Mizzi.
- General History: The chronicles of Khalifa ibn Khayyat, al-Tabari, Ibn al-Athir (al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh), al-Dhahabi (Tarikh al-Islam), and Tarikh Ibn Salih.
- Histories of Medina: Works by Ibn Zabala, Ibn Shabba, Ibn Farhun, al-Fayruzabadi, al-Aqshahri, and al-Samhudi, the latter of whom al-Sakhawi praised for his extensive knowledge and thoroughness.
- Contemporary Biographies: Material drawn from his teacher Ibn Hajar's biographical dictionaries, particularly al-Durar al-Kamina and Inba' al-Ghumr.
In his compilation method, al-Sakhawi transmitted textual excerpts directly, sometimes abridging them while generally preserving the exact wording of his sources and attributing them by name. The length of his biographical entries varied from a single line to several pages; he occasionally provided short entries for prominent figures who were extensively covered in other works, while gathering extensive details for obscure figures whose records were scarce elsewhere.
Editions
The work was edited from manuscript under the general supervision of Abd al-Basit Badr and published by the Center for Research and Studies of Medina (Markaz Buhuth wa-Dirasat al-Madina al-Munawwara), with contributions from an academic team of editors and reviewers.
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