Istijlab Irtiqa al-Ghuraf bi-Hubb Aqriba al-Rasul - صلى الله عليه وسلم - wa Dhawi al-Sharaf
- Author died
- 902 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashāʾir al-Islāmiyyah
Istijlab Irtiqa al-Ghuraf bi-Hubb Aqriba al-Rasul wa-Dhawi al-Sharaf (Seeking Ascent to the Lofty Chambers through Love for the Prophet's Kin and the Possessors of Nobility) is a treatise on the virtues and merits of the Prophet's ﷺ family and relatives by the hadith scholar and historian Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi (831–902 AH / 1428–1497 CE) .
Title and Composition
The full title, attested across most manuscripts and catalog sources, signifies seeking elevation into the chambers of Paradise by virtue of loving the Prophet's ﷺ household and descendants . In other writings, al-Sakhawi occasionally referred to the book under shortened forms, such as Irtiqa al-Ghuraf bi-Hubb Aqriba al-Rasul wa-Dhawi al-Sharaf, Istijlab al-Ghuraf, Irtiqa al-Ghuraf, Istijlab Irtiqa al-Ghuraf, or simply al-Irtiqa, or described it by subject as his work on the Ahl al-Bayt or the Ashraf . According to manuscript colophons, al-Sakhawi completed the composition of the work in Ramadan 877 AH (February–March 1473 CE) .
Subject, Structure, and Method
The book is structured into an introduction, eleven chapters, and a conclusion . It addresses the virtues and merits (manaqib) of the Prophet's ﷺ pure lineage and kin, highlighting their rights over the Muslim community as well as their reciprocal duties, while aiming to present a balanced position that avoids both extremist veneration (ghuluww) and neglect or disparagement (jafa') . The work also features an extensive compilation and examination of narrations regarding al-Mahdi and his lineage .
In his methodology, al-Sakhawi approaches the subject with critical hadith scholarship:
- He cites partial chains of transmission to highlight the key transmitters upon whom the reports turn (madar al-isnad) .
- He evaluates narrations as authentic (sahih) or defective (da'if), reviews the biographical standing of narrators, and critiques judgments made by previous compilers, especially concerning reports transmitted through Rafidi or lenient chains .
- He frequently gathers corroborating paths (shawahid and mutaba'at) to demonstrate where reports reinforce one another .
- While he drew upon earlier compilations—most notably Dhakha'ir al-Uqba fi Manaqib Dhawi al-Qurba by Muhibb al-Din al-Tabari (d. 694 AH)—al-Sakhawi critiqued al-Tabari for leniency and for citing fabricated or rejected reports without warning, citing his own teacher Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's critique of al-Tabari's frequent errors in attributing narrations .
- Throughout the text, al-Sakhawi repeatedly cites Ibn Hajar with the honorific designation shaykhuna ("our master") .
Transmission and Reception
During his lifetime, al-Sakhawi actively taught and read the text alongside major reference works in Cairo, at the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, and in Medina, granting formal transmission licenses (ijazas) for it to his students and sending copies to contemporary scholars who requested them .
Later hadith scholars relied on the book as an authoritative critical reference for reports concerning the Prophet's ﷺ kin. His student Ibn al-Dayba' al-Shaybani (d. 944 AH) cited it in Tamyiz al-Tayyib min al-Khabith, and Isma'il ibn Muhammad al-Ajluni (d. 1162 AH) cited its critical findings in Kashf al-Khafa' . The Shafi'i jurist Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974 AH) produced an abridgment of the work, which was published as an appendix to his treatise al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqa . The complete text has been edited by Khalid ibn Ahmad al-Summi Babatin and published by Dar al-Basha'ir al-Islamiyyah .
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