Ashraf al-Wasail ila Fahm al-Shamail
- Author died
- 974 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah
Ashraf al-Wasa'il ila Fahm al-Shama'il (The Most Noble Means to Understanding the Prophetic Traits) is a sixteenth-century Arabic commentary by the Shafi'i scholar Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (909–974 AH / 1504–1567 CE) on the prophetic characteristics (shama'il) collection of Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH) .
Composition and Context
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami composed the work at al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as a set of concise notes and elucidations compiled when al-Tirmidhi's al-Shama'il was read before him during the month of Ramadan . He began writing on 3 Ramadan 949 AH and completed the treatise on 18 Ramadan of the same year, finishing it in roughly fifteen days .
Content and Method
The commentary addresses ambiguous and difficult expressions (mushkil) in al-Tirmidhi's text, examining the transmitted narrations regarding the Prophet Muhammad's physical characteristics, demeanor, personal habits, dress, and daily life . Ibn Hajar integrates linguistic glosses, biographical notes on narrators, and hadith criticism to clarify disputed or fabricated reports cited in related traditions .
Reception and Editions
The text came to be recognized among the prominent classical commentaries on al-Tirmidhi's al-Shama'il . Later scholars regularly drew upon and evaluated Ibn Hajar's discussions; notably, Mulla Ali al-Qari (d. 1014 AH) frequently cited and endorsed his conclusions in his own commentary, Jam' al-Wasa'il fi Sharh al-Shama'il .
The work has survived in numerous manuscript copies across collections in Cairo, Damascus, Fez, Istanbul, London, Paris, and Riyadh . It was edited by Ahmad Farid al-Mazidi and published in Beirut in 1419 AH / 1998 CE .
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