Lamaat al-Tanqih fi Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih
- Author died
- 1052 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Nawadir
Lamaat al-Tanqih fi Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih (The Flashes of Clarification in the Commentary on the Niche of Lamps) is an Arabic hadith commentary by the Indian Hanafi scholar Abd al-Haqq al-Dihlawi (958–1052 AH / 1551–1642 CE), written to explain the prominent hadith compendium Mishkat al-Masabih by al-Khatib al-Tabrizi (d. 741 AH) .
Composition and Purpose
Prior to composing Lamaat al-Tanqih, al-Dihlawi wrote marginal notes that grew into a complete four-volume Persian commentary on Mishkat al-Masabih titled Ashi'at al-Lamaat . During the process of compiling his Persian commentary, he was inspired to write an Arabic counterpart to accommodate deeper analytical discussions, scholarly nuances, and intricate investigations that exceeded what could be presented to general readers in Persian .
Al-Dihlawi considered Lamaat al-Tanqih to be his largest, most substantial, and most favored work . In his index of writings, Ta'lif al-Qalb al-Alif, he characterized it as a comprehensive and beneficial work containing rigorous academic inquiries, fine subtleties, and delicate points in the explanation of the Prophet's hadiths .
Method and Content
The work is positioned as an intermediate commentary balancing concise expression and necessary detail without tedious length . Al-Dihlawi's methodology includes:
- Analyzing vocabulary through linguistic, grammatical, and juridical examination .
- Reconciling ostensibly contradictory narrations with impartiality and moderation .
- Providing an introduction covering hadith terminology and transmitters .
- Incorporating legal commentary reflective of the Hanafi school of law alongside broader scholarly discussions .
Reception and Publication
While al-Dihlawi's Persian commentary Ashi'at al-Lamaat was widely printed and circulated across the Indian subcontinent because of its accessibility, Lamaat al-Tanqih remained predominantly in manuscript form and was preserved across libraries in India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Europe . Later scholars evaluated it alongside key classical commentaries on Mishkat al-Masabih, such as Mirqat al-Mafatih by Mulla Ali al-Qari and al-Kashif an Haqa'iq al-Sunan by al-Tibi .
The Arabic text was critically edited by Taqi al-Din al-Nadwi using six manuscript copies from Patna, Rampur, Aligarh, Deoband, Tonk, and Kolkata . It was published in Damascus by Dar al-Nawadir in ten volumes in 1435 AH / 2014 CE .
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