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Yusuf ibn Yahya al-Sulami

Aqd al-Durar fi Akhbar al-Muntazar

Author died
658 AH
Editions
Maktabat al-Manār

Aqd al-Durar fi Akhbar al-Muntazar (The Necklace of Pearls Concerning the Reports of the Awaited [Imam]) is a 7th-century AH compilation of eschatological hadiths concerning the Mahdi, authored by the Shafi'i scholar Yusuf ibn Yahya al-Sulami al-Maqdisi (d. after 658 AH / 1260 CE or 685 AH / 1286 CE) .

Background and Composition

The author completed the book in 658 AH (1260 CE) . In the introduction, al-Sulami explains that the work arose out of discussions held during a period marked by rising prices, warfare, tribulations, and widespread corruption . When an interlocutor argued that hardships would only persist and cited the narration لا مهدي إلا عيسى ابن مريم ("There is no Mahdi except Isa ibn Maryam"), al-Sulami responded by challenging the authenticity of that report, citing evaluations by Abu Bakr al-Bayhaqi, al-Hakim al-Nisaburi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn al-Jawzi regarding the obscurity of its narrator Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Jundi and the weakness of its chain . He also cited an alternative interpretation transmitted from Abu Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ibn Isma'il al-Shafi'i (Abu Shama) . Following this exchange, Nasir al-Din Abu Abd Allah Muhammad, the son of Majd al-Din Yusuf, urged al-Sulami to compile the transmitted traditions on the Mahdi and assisted him in gathering source materials .

Structure and Contents

The work is organized into twelve chapters (abwab) :

  1. That the Mahdi is from the progeny and household of the Prophet ﷺ .
  2. His name, moral character, and kunya .
  3. His justice and physical appearance .
  4. The tribulations indicating his emergence (divided into four sections) .
  5. That God will send those who prepare the way before his reign .
  6. The miracles and charismata (karamat) manifest during his caliphate .
  7. His honor and high station .
  8. His generosity and noble character .
  9. His conquests and conduct (divided into three sections) .
  10. That Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus) will pray behind him, pledge allegiance to him, and descend to assist him .
  11. Discrepancies in the transmitted reports regarding the duration of his stay .
  12. Tribulations occurring during his lifetime and after the conclusion of his era (comprising an introduction, eight sections, and an epilogue) .

Method and Sources

In compiling the texts, al-Sulami omits full chains of transmission (asānīd) to maintain brevity, while attributing each report directly to the earlier collections and canonical sources from which it was extracted . His citations include primary hadith works as well as specialized treatises such as Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani's Sifat al-Mahdi and works by Ibn al-Munadi .

Transmission and Editions

Aqd al-Durar became an important reference for subsequent scholars writing on Islamic eschatology. Ali al-Muttaqi al-Hindi drew from it when compiling his al-Burhan fi Alamat Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, incorporating selected narrations from Aqd al-Durar alongside material from al-Suyuti's al-'Irf al-Wardi and Jam' al-Jawami' . It was also cited by al-Sakhawi in his hadith responses and treatises .

Manuscript copies of the text are preserved in multiple collections, including the Şehid Ali Pasha collection in Istanbul (MS 1690, collated against the author's original manuscript), the Lâleli collection (MS 626), the National Library of Tunisia (MS 4304), and libraries in Najaf and Karbala . The book has been edited and published in modern times, including an edition by Abd al-Fattah Muhammad al-Hulu (Cairo, 1399 AH / 1979 CE) and another by Muhibb ibn Salih al-Burini (Zarqa, 1410 AH / 1989 CE) .

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