Makarim al-Akhlaq lil-Kharaiti
- Author died
- 327 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Āfāq al-ʿArabiyyah
Makarim al-Akhlaq (Arabic: مكارم الأخلاق, lit. 'Noble Character Traits'), formally titled Makarim al-Akhlaq wa-Ma'aliha wa-Mahmud Tara'iqiha (مكارم الأخلاق ومعاليها ومحمود طرائقها), is a 4th-century AH compendium of prophetic traditions, ethical reports, and aphorisms compiled by the Palestinian hadith scholar Abu Bakr al-Kharaiti (240–327 AH / 854–939 CE).
Content and Method
The work is devoted to Islamic ethics, personal refinement, and high moral standards, complementing the author's other ethical treatise on blameworthy conduct, Masawi al-Akhlaq (Vices of Character). Al-Kharaiti assembled narrations arranged into thematic chapters, transmitting each report with its complete chain of transmission (isnad) tracing back to the Prophet ﷺ, his companions, early Muslim luminaries, or ancient sages.
The chapters documented in surviving recensions include:
- Jima' abwab al-tara'iq al-mahmuda wa-l-akhlaq al-mardiyya (The Comprehensive Chapters on Praiseworthy Ways and Pleasing Morals)
- Bab al-hathth 'ala al-akhlaq al-saliha wa-l-targhib fiha (Chapter on Urging Righteous Character and Encouraging It)
- Bab karam al-sajiyya wa-kaff al-adhiyya wa-jamil al-'ishra (Chapter on Generosity of Nature, Refraining from Harm, and Beautiful Companionship)
- Bab ma ja'a fi istina' al-ma'ruf min al-fadl (Chapter on What Has Come Regarding the Virtue of Doing Good Deeds)
- Bab ma ja'a fi ikram al-dayf wa-l-ihsan ilayh (Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Honoring the Guest and Treating Him Well)
Transmission and Reception
The book circulated among scholars of Damascus and the wider Levant. A prominent transmission line of the work was preserved through Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Uthman al-Sulami, who transmitted directly from al-Kharaiti, down to his grandson Abu al-Hasan Ahmad ibn Abd al-Wahid al-Sulami, and subsequently to the Shafi'i jurist Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Muslim al-Sulami. An abridged selection from the text was compiled under the title al-Muntaqa min Kitab Makarim al-Akhlaq wa-Ma'aliha, which was read and transmitted in teaching circles in Damascus, including sessions held at the Umayyad Mosque in 511 AH and under Jamal al-Din Yusuf ibn Abd al-Hadi at Madrasat Abi Umar in 905 AH.
Subsequent scholars frequently cited hadiths and narrations through al-Kharaiti's compilation; notably, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali drew on al-Kharaiti's Makarim al-Akhlaq for ethical traditions in his Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences).
Printed Editions
The work has been published in multiple modern critical editions, including:
- An edition edited by Su'ad Sulayman Idris al-Khandaqawi (Cairo, 1411 AH / 1991 CE).
- An edition edited by Ayman Abd al-Jabir al-Buhayri (Dar al-Afaq al-Arabiyya, Cairo, 1419 AH / 1999 CE).
- An edition edited by Abd Allah ibn Bajjash al-Himyari (Maktabat al-Rushd, Riyadh, 1427 AH / 2006 CE).
Answer updated