Jam al-Wasail fi Sharh al-Shamail
- Author died
- 1014 AH
- Editions
- Al-Matba'ah al-Sharafiyyah
Jam' al-Wasa'il fi Sharh al-Shamail (A Gathering of Means in Expounding the Sublime Characteristics) is a comprehensive commentary by al-Mulla Ali al-Qari (d. 1014 AH / 1606 CE) on the renowned hadith work al-Shamail al-Muhammadiyyah by al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH / 892 CE), which details the physical attributes, moral character, daily habits, and way of life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
Composition and Purpose
Al-Qari finished drafting the work in Mecca in the year 1008 AH (1599–1600 CE) . In the introduction, he states that the subject matter of hadith science is the person of the Prophet ﷺ and that knowing his hadiths is among the most blessed disciplines . He praises al-Tirmidhi's source text as the finest and most concise comprehensive summary (al-mukhtasar al-jami) on the Prophetic character and biography, remarking that reading it is akin to beholding the Prophet's noble countenance . Al-Qari notes that he composed his commentary to join the ranks of those serving this work, hoping to benefit from the prayers of righteous scholars .
Method and Structure
The work is arranged as an interwoven commentary (sharh mamzuj), embedding the original text of al-Tirmidhi's collection directly into the explanatory prose . Al-Qari opens with a formal theological preamble beginning:
«الحمد لله الذي خلق الخلق والأخلاق والأرزاق والأفعال...»
"Praise be to God, who created creation, character traits, sustenance, and deeds..."
Throughout the commentary, al-Qari provides linguistic and grammatical analyses, clarifies obscure vocabulary, elaborates on legal and theological implications, and evaluates hadith narrations and chains . He frequently cites and critiques earlier commentators on the Shamail as well as prominent classical authorities, including Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Nawawi, Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Jazari, and al-Turbishti .
Reception and Editions
The commentary became a standard reference work on the Shamail literature. Later scholars relied heavily upon it; notably, Muhammad ibn Qasim Jassus (fl. 1142 AH / 1729 CE) based his two-volume commentary, al-Fawa'id al-Jaliyyah al-Bahiyyah 'ala al-Shamail al-Muhammadiyyah, directly on al-Qari's exposition .
The work has been published in multiple historical printings, including a two-volume edition printed in Istanbul (Constantinople) in 1290 AH (1873 CE), which featured the commentary of Abd al-Ra'uf al-Munawi on the margin, as well as Egyptian editions such as those from al-Matba'ah al-Adabiyyah (1317 AH / 1899 CE) and al-Matba'ah al-Sharafiyyah .
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