Hashiyat al-Sindi ala Sunan Ibn Majah
- Author died
- 1138 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Jīl
Hashiyat al-Sindi ala Sunan Ibn Majah (Arabic: حاشية السندي على سنن ابن ماجه), also titled Kifayat al-Hajah fi Sharh Sunan Ibn Majah (كفاية الحاجة في شرح سنن ابن ماجه), is a concise marginal commentary on the hadith collection Sunan Ibn Majah by the Sindhi-born scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Hadi al-Sindi (d. 1138 AH / 1726 CE).
Background and Authorship
The work was composed by Abu al-Hasan Nur al-Din Muhammad ibn Abd al-Hadi al-Tatwi al-Sindi, a Hanafi jurist and hadith scholar originally from Thatta in Sindh who settled and taught at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina until his death in 1138 AH (another report recorded his death year as 1109 AH). It forms part of al-Sindi's broader project of writing glosses on the major canonical compilations of prophetic tradition (al-Kutub al-Sittah). The base text, Sunan Ibn Majah, was compiled by Ibn Majah (d. 273 AH / 887 CE) and represents one of the six primary Sunni hadith works.
Structure and Methodology
The work is arranged according to the organizational order of Sunan Ibn Majah, opening with the Book of the Introduction (Kitab al-Muqaddimah) and its section on adhering to the Sunnah. Described by Siddiq Hasan Khan as a concise phrase-by-phrase gloss (sharh latif bi-al-qawl), the commentary adopts the standard lemmatic method, selecting specific words and phrases introduced by the formula qawluhu ("his saying: ...").
Al-Sindi's commentary focuses on:
- Linguistic and Grammatical Analysis: Clarifying obscure vocabulary (gharib), establishing vocalization, and resolving grammatical structures (i'rab) within the hadith texts.
- Legal and Doctrinal Implications: Extracting jurisprudence (fiqh al-hadith), discussing legal rulings, and addressing questions concerning adherence to the Sunnah across both independent jurists (mujtahids) and followers (muqallids).
- Unique Transmissions: Highlighting specific reports where Ibn Majah was unique among the primary compilers in recording a narration (mimma tafarrada bihi al-musannif).
- Engagement with Earlier Commentators: Citing and evaluating earlier scholars and commentators, including al-Tibi and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (author of Misbah al-Zujajah ala Sunan Ibn Majah).
Reception and Publication
The gloss became one of the standard references for understanding Sunan Ibn Majah and is counted among the established commentaries alongside those of al-Suyuti and later commentators. The book was printed in Cairo under the title Hashiyat al-Sindi, and has also been published in Beirut by Dar al-Jil.
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