Kashf al-Mukhaddarat li Sharh Akhsar al-Mukhtasarat
- Author died
- 1192 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashā’ir al-Islāmiyyah
Kashf al-Mukhaddarat li Sharh Akhsar al-Mukhtasarat (The Unveiling of the Secluded Beauties in Explaining the Briefest of Abridgments) is a commentary on Ibn Balban's Hanbali legal primer Akhsar al-Mukhtasarat, authored by the Syrian Hanbali jurist Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Ba'li (1110–1192 AH / 1698–1778 CE) .
Background and Composition
The base text, Akhsar al-Mukhtasarat, was composed by Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din ibn Balban (d. 1083 AH / 1672 CE) as an epitome of his own larger manual, Kafi al-Mubtadi . Al-Ba'li titled his commentary in full Kashf al-Mukhaddarat wa-l-Riyad al-Muzhirat li Sharh Akhsar al-Mukhtasarat (The Unveiling of Secluded Beauties and Flourishing Gardens in Explaining the Briefest of Abridgments) and completed it in 1138 AH (1725/1726 CE) . In his preface, al-Ba'li stated that while Ibn Balban's primer was exceptionally beneficial, its condensed phrasing required an exposition to uncover its veiled meanings; he therefore intended to provide a balanced commentary that avoided both tedious length and disruptive brevity .
Method and Sources
The commentary unpacks the text of the primer, defines technical terms, and supplies the legal stipulations, conditions, and supplementary cases required to understand each ruling . In his legal transmission, al-Ba'li drew heavily upon the standard late references of the Hanbali school, aligning his explanations with Muntaha al-Iradat and al-Iqna', as well as their commentaries by Mansur al-Bahuti (d. 1051 AH / 1641 CE) . A manuscript note recorded in verse by Muhammad Jamil al-Shatti described the work as encompassing eighteen books, seven chapters, and one hundred and six sections .
Reception and Editions
The Hanbali jurist Abd al-Qadir ibn Badran praised the work, characterizing it as refined, meticulously edited, and of substantial utility for beginning students . Later scholars noted that the author's extensive addition of supplementary rulings gave the commentary the breadth of a substantive legal reference, leading al-Ba'li to prepare an abridgment of his own commentary entitled Jani al-Thamarat (also cited as Majna al-Thamarat) . The text has been printed in multiple modern editions, including one edited by the Yemeni scholar Abd al-Rahman al-Mu'allimi .
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