Jawahir al-Durar fi Hall Alfaz al-Mukhtasar
- Author died
- 942 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn Ḥazm
Jawahir al-Durar fi Hall Alfaz al-Mukhtasar (The Gems of Pearls in Deciphering the Expressions of the Mukhtasar) is an analytical commentary on Mukhtasar Khalil in Maliki jurisprudence, authored by the Egyptian scholar and judge Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Tatta'i (d. 942 AH / 1535 CE).
Background and Purpose
The work serves as an elucidation of Mukhtasar Khalil, the foundational compendium of Maliki positive law (furu') composed by Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jundi (d. 776 AH). Al-Tatta'i wrote two separate commentaries on the Mukhtasar: a large, expansive commentary titled Fath al-Jalil fi Hall Jawahir Durar Alfaz al-Shaykh Khalil (known as al-Sharh al-Kabir), and this more concise commentary, Jawahir al-Durar, widely referred to in the Maliki tradition as al-Sharh al-Saghir (the minor commentary).
In his preface, al-Tatta'i explains that although earlier prominent scholars and direct disciples of Khalil had already commented on the text, he undertook this work after having received the text both through transmission (riwayatan) and comprehension (dirayatan) from the leading Egyptian scholars of his generation, who in turn preserved chains going back to Khalil himself.
Structure and Method
The commentary is structured to follow the legal chapters of Khalil's compendium sequentially, addressing matters of ritual worship, transactions, family law, and judicial procedures. Al-Tatta'i employed an interwoven (mamzuj) style of commentary, integrating Khalil's original words directly with his explanations so that the legal rulings and syntax of the concise original could be readily deciphered. In traditional manuscripts, Khalil's base text was copied in red ink while al-Tatta'i's commentary appeared in black ink to distinguish the two.
Reception and Scholarly Assessment
Jawahir al-Durar received notable attention in the Maliki legal tradition, with manuscript verses praising al-Tatta'i for synthesizing earlier commentators and resolving intricate textual ambiguities. However, the commentary also encountered critical scrutiny from later scholars regarding its reliance for judicial decrees (hukm) and formal legal opinions (ifta'). The Mauritanian scholar al-Nabigha al-Ghalawi documented that figures such as Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Sijilmasi, Ibn Ashir, al-Wankari, Mustafa, and Muhammad al-Kharashi raised objections against certain transmissions and interpretations found in the work, including accusations of uncredited reliance on earlier writings.
Manuscripts and Publication
Numerous manuscript copies of Jawahir al-Durar survive across North African and Middle Eastern libraries, including copies housed in the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, the library of al-Qarawiyyin, and Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya. An eight-volume critical edition edited by Nuri Hasan Hamid al-Masallati—relying on eleven manuscript witnesses, including one containing glosses by al-Tatta'i's student al-Fishi—was published by Dar Ibn Hazm in Beirut in 1435 AH / 2014 CE.
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