Khulasat al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Dr. Muhammad al-Amin Muhammad Mahmud Ahmad al-Jakani
Khulasat al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa (The Quintessence of Fulfillment Regarding the History of the Abode of the Chosen One) is a history and topographical compendium of Medina composed by the Shafi'i scholar and historian al-Samhudi (d. 911 AH / 1506 CE) . It is an abridgment of his own broader works on the sacred sites, geography, and history of the city .
Composition and Context
Al-Samhudi initially compiled a comprehensive, multivolume work on the history of Medina titled Iqtifa' al-Wafa bi-Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa, bringing together earlier chronicles and his own direct observations of the city's landmarks . Before completing it, he abridged it into Wafa' al-Wafa bi-Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa, which he finished drafting in Medina on 24 Jumada al-Ula 886 AH .
Shortly thereafter, al-Samhudi traveled to Mecca, where word reached him that the Prophet's Mosque in Medina had caught fire . While the draft of his original, larger work was destroyed in the blaze, the manuscript of Wafa' al-Wafa survived because he had brought it with him . He incorporated an account of the fire while producing a fair copy of Wafa' al-Wafa in Mecca during Shawwal 886 AH, and subsequently appended details about the mosque's reconstruction after returning to Medina in 888 AH .
He subsequently condensed Wafa' al-Wafa into a more concise version, naming it Khulasat al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa, in which he included the narrative of the fire; he completed its composition in 893 AH .
Structure and Contents
The work opens with the doxology: «الحمد لله الذي شرف طابة» ("Praise be to God Who honored Tabah...") . Following the organizational scheme of its parent text, it is divided into eight primary chapters (abwab):
- The names of Medina (fi Asma' al-balad) .
- The virtues of the city (fi Fada'iliha) .
- The history and accounts of its early and subsequent inhabitants (fi Akhbar sukkaniha) .
- The Prophet's Mosque, including its construction, architectural dimensions, pillars, and renovations (fi-ma yata'allaq bi-umur masjidiha) .
- The various outdoor prayer locations of the Prophet (fi Musalla al-Nabi) .
- The historical wells of Medina (fi Abariha) .
- The valleys and surrounding environs of the city (fi Awdiyatiha) .
- The etiquette and merits of visiting the Prophet (fi Ziyaratihi) .
Translation and Publication
The work was translated into Ottoman Turkish by Muhammad al-Ashiq al-Hanafi al-Rumi under the title Khulasat al-Akhbar .
In print, an early edition was published in Egypt at the Bulaq Press in 1285 AH (1868 CE) . It was also issued in Mecca at al-Matba'a al-Miriyya in 1316 AH, featuring on its margins al-Fakihi's treatise Husn al-Tawassul fi Adab Ziyarat Afdal al-Rusul . A later edition appeared in Medina in 1972 .
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