Dhamm al-Qada wa Taqallud al-Ahkam
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Sahaba li-l-Turath
Dhamm al-Qada wa Taqallud al-Ahkam (Censure of the Judiciary and Assuming Judicial Office) is a short hadith treatise by the Egyptian scholar al-Jalal al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE) dedicated to compiling prophetic traditions and narrations that warn against seeking judicial appointments or exercising legal judgment .
Attribution and Manuscripts
Al-Suyuti included the work under the subject of hadith and its related disciplines in his own catalog of writings, listing it as a specialized tract (juz') . It is also recorded under his authorship by Katip Celebi in Kashf al-Zunun as Dhamm al-Qada alongside his treatises on avoiding rulers and censuring customs duties .
A manuscript copy of the treatise, bearing the title Juz' fi Dhamm al-Qada wa Taqallud al-Ahkam, is preserved at the Egyptian National Library and Archives within the Taymur collection (Majami' Taymur no. 201), spanning nine pages .
Contents and Structure
The treatise gathers hadiths and reports illustrating the perils, spiritual accountability, and gravity associated with the office of judge (qadi), organized into thematic sections:
- Traditions transmitted regarding assuming judicial office (al-Ahadith al-warida fi taqallud al-qada)
- The Prophet's ﷺ advice to Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (Nasihat al-Rasul li-Abi Dharr)
- The severe reckoning faced even by the just judge (Shiddat hisab al-qadi al-'adl)
- The ruling concerning one who judges with injustice or ignorance (Hukm man qada bi-jawr aw jahl)
- Authority bringing blame at its outset (Awwal al-imara malama)
- Whether judges are the first to be summoned for reckoning (Hal al-quda awwal man yud'a li-l-hisab)
- A man who loves to be resurrected among the scholars (Rajul yuhibbu an yuhshara ma'a al-'ulama')
- The flight of the early righteous predecessors from judicial appointment (Firar al-salaf al-salih min al-qada)
- The conditions of judges among the Children of Israel (Ahwal al-quda fi Bani Isra'il)
Editions
The work was edited by Majdi Fathi al-Sayyid and published in Tanta by Dar al-Sahaba li-l-Turath in 1411 AH / 1991 CE in a single volume comprising three of al-Suyuti's related treatises: Ma Rawahu al-Asatin fi 'Adam al-Maji' ila al-Salatin, Dhamm al-Qada wa Taqallud al-Ahkam, and Dhamm al-Maks .
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