Idah al-Madarik fi al-Ifsah an al-Awatik
- Author died
- 1205 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashā’ir al-Islāmiyyah lil-Ṭibā‘ah wal-Nashr wal-Tawzī‘
Idah al-Madarik fi al-Ifsah an al-Awatik (Clarification of Perceptions in Disclosing the ‘Atikas) is a genealogical treatise by Murtada al-Zabidi (1145–1205 AH / 1732–1791 CE) documenting the ancestral grandmothers and female figures connected to the Prophet Muhammad who were named ‘Atika .
Composition and Title Variants
Al-Zabidi completed writing the work in two sessions, concluding on Sunday, 4 Rabi‘ al-Thani 1194 AH . He stated that he composed the tract as a service to the Prophet and in anticipation of being counted among his devoted adherents . In biographical and bibliographical registers, the work is sometimes recorded under slight title variations, including Idah al-Madarik ‘an Nasab al-‘Awatik and Idah al-Madarik bi-al-Ifsah ‘an al-‘Awatik .
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized into three sections: an introduction (muqaddimah), a core discussion (muhimmah), and a conclusion (khatimah) .
The main body clarifies the Prophet's maternal grandmothers named ‘Atika, centering on those from the tribe of Banu Sulaym and other lineages, elucidating the prophetic declaration on the day of the Battle of Hunayn: أنا ابن العواتك ("I am the son of the ‘Atikas") .
The concluding chapter (khatimah) is dedicated to identifying female Companions (Sahabiyyat) who shared the name ‘Atika . Among those treated are:
- ‘Atika bint Usayd ibn Abi al-‘Iys al-Umawiyya, the sister of ‘Attab, who accepted Islam on the day of the Conquest of Mecca .
- ‘Atika bint Khalid al-Khuza‘iyya (known as Umm Ma‘bad) .
- ‘Atika bint Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl, sister of Sa‘id ibn Zayd .
- ‘Atika bint ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's paternal aunt .
- ‘Atika bint ‘Awf, sister of ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf .
- ‘Atika bint al-Walid, sister of Khalid ibn al-Walid .
- ‘Atika bint Nu‘aym ibn ‘Abd Allah al-‘Adawiyya .
Manuscripts and Publication
The work is preserved in a manuscript at the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya, MS 20108), comprising 19 folios . Another manuscript copy was transcribed in Cairo by Muhammad Abu al-Nasr Hashim al-Ja‘fari al-Nabulsi on 16 Jumada al-Thaniyah 1321 AH for the scholar Muhammad Mahmud al-Turkuzi al-Shinqiti .
The treatise was edited by Musa‘id Salim al-‘Abd al-Jadir and published in Beirut by Dar al-Basha’ir al-Islamiyyah in 1421 AH / 2000 CE as part of the booklet series Liqa’ al-‘Ashr al-Awakhir bi-al-Masjid al-Haram .
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