Manaqib Jafar ibn Abi Talib
- Author died
- 643 AH
- Editions
- A manuscript published in the free Jawāmiʿ al-Kalim program affiliated with Islamweb
Manaqib Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib (Arabic: مناقب جعفر بن أبي طالب, The Virtues of Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib) is a short hadith monograph (juz’) compiled by the Hanbali traditionist Diya al-Din al-Maqdisi (d. 643 AH / 1245 CE), dedicated to collecting prophetic traditions and narrations regarding the merits, life, and martyrdom of the Prophet's cousin Jafar ibn Abi Talib .
Content and Transmission
The work is arranged as a collection of narrated traditions transmitted through Diya' al-Din's own chains of audition (asānīd) from teachers he studied under during his scholarly travels, notably in Isfahan and Baghdad . The reports recorded in the tract highlight key aspects of Ja‘far's virtues and pivotal events in his life:
- Prophetic Praise and Resemblance: The text includes narrations in which the Prophet Muhammad praised Ja‘far, saying to him: أَشْبَهْتَ خَلْقِي وَخُلُقِي ("You resemble my physical appearance and character") during a settlement over the care of the daughter of Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib .
- Return from Abyssinia: It documents reports concerning Ja‘far's migration to Abyssinia and his subsequent return during the conquest of Khaybar, where the Prophet embraced him, kissed him between the eyes, and remarked that he did not know whether he rejoiced more over the conquest of Khaybar or the arrival of Ja‘far . It also records the Prophet's affirmation of Ja‘far's observation in Abyssinia concerning the defense of the weak against injustice .
- Charity and Generosity: It contains narrations from Abu Hurayrah describing Ja‘far’s affection for the indigent and how the Prophet granted him the agnomen (kunya) Abū al-Masākīn (the Father of the Needy) .
- Martyrdom and Heavenly Status: The tract incorporates reports regarding Ja‘far’s martyrdom at the Battle of Mu'tah, the Prophet comforting Ja‘far’s widow Asma bint Umays and his children, and the prophetic vision of Ja‘far flying in Paradise with two wings alongside the angels, which earned him the epithet Dhū al-Janāḥayn (the Possessor of Two Wings) .
Manuscript and Publication
A surviving manuscript of the work, penned in the author's own hand, is preserved in the collections of al-Majāmī‘ al-‘Umariyyah at the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (under collection no. 70, fols. 88–94; cataloged elsewhere as fols. 88–99) . The text was edited by Muhammad Hasan Al Yasin and published in Baghdad in 1969 .
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