Manahil al-Safa fi Takhrij Ahadith al-Shifa
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Muʼassasat al-Kutub al-Thaqāfīyah - Dār al-Jinān lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʻ
Manahil al-Safa fi Takhrij Ahadith al-Shifa (Springs of Purity in the Hadith Extraction of al-Shifa) is a hadith verification work by the Egyptian scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE), dedicated to identifying and referencing the prophetic narrations found in al-Qadi 'Iyad's (d. 544 AH / 1149 CE) celebrated work on prophetic biography and virtues, Kitab al-Shifa bi-Ta'rif Huquq al-Mustafa . In al-Suyuti's autobiography in Husn al-Muhadarah, the title appeared under the variant Manahij al-Safa .
Method and Scope
Al-Suyuti noted in his introduction that he adopted a concise and abridged method, providing an edited extraction of the narrations in al-Shifa without relying on earlier treatises composed on the text . Instead, he relied on his own memorization, critical examination, and direct consultation of authoritative primary hadith collections (al-usul al-mu'tamadah) and comprehensive compilations (al-jawami'), citing the source works, chains, and grades of authenticity .
The book is structured sequentially according to the original arrangement of al-Shifa, beginning with the narrations in al-Qadi 'Iyad's opening sermon (khutbah) and proceeding systematically through each major part (qism) and chapter .
Related Works and Continuations
Al-Suyuti was preceded in extracting the hadiths of al-Shifa by his teacher Ibn Qutlubugha (d. 879 AH / 1474 CE), who drafted several folios on the subject .
To address traditions that al-Suyuti had missed or left unexamined, the Moroccan scholar Abu al-'Ala' Idris ibn Muhammad al-Iraqi al-Fasi (d. 1183 AH; another report gives 1234 AH) authored a dedicated supplementary work titled Mawarid Ahl al-Sidad wa-al-Wafa fi [bi-] Takmil Manahil al-Safa .
Manuscripts and Editions
A manuscript copy preserved in the Süleymaniye Library in Istanbul was transcribed by 'Abd al-Haqq ibn Muhammad al-Shafi'i in 912 AH, spanning 41 folios .
The work was printed early in Cairo (including an edition in 1275 AH in two parts within a single volume) . It was subsequently edited by Samir al-Qadi and published in Beirut in 1408 AH / 1988 CE by Dar al-Jinan and Mu'assasat al-Kutub al-Thaqafiyyah .
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