Durrat al-Dar' li-Hadith Umm Zar
- Author died
- 623 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn Ḥazm lil-Ṭibā‘ah wal-Nashr wal-Tawzī‘
Durrat al-Dar' li-Hadith Umm Zar (The Pearl of the Udder Regarding the Hadith of Umm Zar) is a monograph by the Shafi'i jurist and hadith scholar Abu al-Qasim Abd al-Karim ibn Muhammad al-Rafi'i (d. 623 AH / 1226 CE) that provides a detailed commentary on the famous prophetic tradition known as the Hadith of Umm Zar' .
Origin and Authorship
The text originally formed an integral section within al-Rafi'i's biographical dictionary, al-Tadwin fi Akhbar Qazwin, appearing in the entry devoted to his father, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim al-Rafi'i (d. 580 AH / 1184 CE) . Al-Rafi'i related that he read the narration to his father in 563 AH (1167–1168 CE), and he provided a dedicated opening preamble for any reader wishing to copy the commentary as an independent work, instructing them to begin with the doxology and assign it the title Durrat al-Dar' li-Hadith Umm Zar' . Later scholars, such as Ahmad ibn Abd al-Ghani al-Tamimi al-Khalili (d. after 1202 AH), affirmed that al-Rafi'i composed an independent commentary on the hadith and integrated it entirely into his history of Qazwin . Although a modern printed edition edited by Mashhur Hasan Salman erroneously ascribed the authorship on its cover to al-Rafi'i's father, internal cross-references, stylistic evidence, and external citations confirm that the commentary is the work of Abu al-Qasim al-Rafi'i himself . In some bibliographical citations, the title also appears recorded as Dhurrat al-Dar' bi-Hadith Umm Zar' .
Content and Method
The work focuses on the lengthy tradition narrated by Aisha concerning eleven women who gathered and pledged not to conceal anything about their husbands' conduct . Al-Rafi'i examines the rare vocabulary (gharib), metaphors, and linguistic idioms employed by each woman in sequence, culminating in the description given by the eleventh woman, Umm Zar', and the Prophet's ﷺ concluding statement to Aisha: كنت لك كأبي زرع لأم زرع ("I am to you as Abu Zar' was to Umm Zar'") .
In analyzing the tradition, al-Rafi'i synthesizes interpretations from earlier linguists and traditionists, citing authorities such as Ibn al-Anbari, Abu Sulayman al-Khattabi, and Abu Bakr al-Sam'ani . He details the legal and ethical lessons derived from the report, highlighting themes such as amicable companionship and gracious conduct toward one's spouse, the permissibility of recounting non-defamatory pre-Islamic anecdotes, and engaging in lawful evening conversation (samar) . Toward the end of the treatise, al-Rafi'i remarks that his father had urged him during his childhood to memorize the hadith due to its abundant benefits and refined phrasing . He concludes the text with three verses of his own poetry, drawing a parallel between his reliance upon divine mercy and Umm Zar's delight with Abu Zar' .
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