Ifadat al-Khabar bi-Nassihi fi Ziyadat al-Umr wa Nuqsihi
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Dar Majid Asiri lil-Nashr wal-Tawzi
Ifadat al-Khabar bi-Nassihi fi Ziyadat al-Umr wa Nuqsihi (Communicating the text of the report on the increase and decrease of lifespan) is a theological and hadith treatise by the Egyptian scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE) examining the question of whether human lifespans increase or decrease .
Subject and Content
The treatise belongs to al-Suyuti’s focused hadith and doctrinal monographs (rasa'il) . It addresses the apparent tension between scriptural texts concerning divine predestination and fixed lifespans (al-ajal)—such as Quranic verses stating that appointed terms cannot be delayed—and prophetic hadiths indicating that acts of righteousness, notably maintaining ties of kinship (silat al-rahim), prolong life . The treatise also addresses the exegesis of related Quranic verses, including the verse ثُمَّ قَضَى أَجَلًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى عِنْدَهُ ("Then He decreed a term, and a specified term is with Him" [al-An'am: 2]) . Al-Suyuti composed the work to compile and analyze the textual proofs regarding the interpretation of lifespan alteration in relation to divine knowledge and the records of the angels .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript copies of the treatise are preserved in several repositories, including the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya) in Cairo, the Maktabat 'Arif Hikmat in Medina, and the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh .
The text has been published in multiple modern editions:
- An edition published by Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah in Beirut (1408 AH / 1988 CE) .
- A critical edition edited by 'Abd al-Hamid Munir Shanuhah, published by Maktabat Dar al-Wafa' .
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