Fadail al-Amaal - al-Diya al-Maqdisi
- Author died
- 643 AH
- Editions
- al-Jāmiʿah al-Islāmīyah
Fada'il al-A'mal (The Virtues of Righteous Deeds) is a hadith compilation on devotional merits and righteous acts by the traditionist Diya al-Din al-Maqdisi (569–643 AH / 1173–1245 CE).
Scope and Methodology
The work is an abridged compendium designed to gather prophetic traditions that highlight the spiritual virtues and rewards of various acts of worship. Al-Maqdisi arranged the text topically into standard devotional sections, opening with the book of ritual purity and prayer (Kitab al-Taharah wa-l-Salah), followed by chapters detailing the merits of ablution (wuduʾ), the call to prayer (adhan), building mosques, and attending congregational prayers.
In compiling the traditions, al-Maqdisi omitted the full chains of transmission (asanid) to keep the book concise and practical, while systematically attributing each hadith to the source collection that originally recorded it.
Reception and Transmission
The work was recognized by biographers as an accomplished compilation in the genre of devotional virtues (fada'il). Ibn Kathir counted it among al-Maqdisi's fine and beneficial compositions that demonstrate his vast memory and command of both hadith texts and chains.
Biographical sources describe the physical extent of the text variously: al-Dhahabi described it as filling a single volume, whereas Ibn Rajab described it as four parts (ajza'). The book survives in several manuscript copies preserved in international libraries and has been published in multiple modern editions.
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