Fath Dhi al-Jalal fi Takhrij Ahadith al-Zilal
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- Maktabat Nizar Mustafa al-Baz
Fath Dhi al-Jalal fi Takhrij Ahadith al-Zilal (The Opening of the Possessor of Majesty in the Hadith Verification of al-Zilal) is a multi-volume hadith verification work authored by Abd al-Munim Ibrahim, dedicated to extracting, sourcing, and grading the prophetic traditions and historical reports contained in Sayyid Qutb’s Quranic commentary, Fi Zilal al-Qur'an (In the Shade of the Quran) .
Purpose and Introductory Framework
In the preface, Ibrahim explains that his aim in compiling the work was to verify the hadiths of Fi Zilal al-Qur'an and assess it through a Salafi lens to determine whether the commentary aligns with the methodology of the early Muslim generations (salaf) . He composed an extensive introduction consisting of chapters designed to provide readers with the context needed to evaluate Qutb and his work impartially .
This introduction opens with a biography of Qutb, followed by scholarly judgments regarding him and his writings . The author establishes criteria derived from the Quran and Sunnah according to the classical principles of jarh wa-ta'dil (discrediting and accrediting narrators), discussing whether Fi Zilal al-Qur'an qualifies as a legitimate work of tafsir or if perceived errors and points of confusion justify its exclusion from classical exegetical ranks, arguing that scholarly infallibility (isma) is not a condition for recognizing a scholar . The preliminary section also engages with contemporary critical works on Qutb's tafsir, including Abdullah al-Duwaysh's al-Mawrid al-Zulal fi al-Tanbih 'ala Akhta' al-Zilal .
Structure and Methodology
The body of the work follows the structure of Fi Zilal al-Qur'an, moving sequentially chapter by chapter (surah) and citing each quotation alongside its volume and page reference in Qutb's tafsir . Each report is assigned an entry number and evaluated using standard hadith sciences :
- Source attribution: Locates each hadith or historical report across primary hadith collections, musnads, Sunan works, and biographical compendia (such as the works of al-Bayhaqi, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, al-Wahidi, and al-Hakim al-Naysaburi) .
- Grading: Assigns a ruling to each narration, classifying it as sound (sahih), fair (hasan), weak (da'if), or disconnected (mursal) .
- Isnad and transmitter critique: Analyzes chains of transmission, notes supporting corroborating paths (shawahid), and assesses individual narrators, including evaluations of reliability, memory loss, and transmission accuracy .
In addition to prophetic traditions, the book documents historical and biographical reports cited in Fi Zilal al-Qur'an, such as narrations transmitted from Ibn Ishaq’s Sirah .
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