Manar al-Qari Sharh Mukhtasar Sahih al-Bukhari
- Author died
- 1431 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Dar al-Bayan
Manar al-Qari Sharh Mukhtasar Sahih al-Bukhari (The Lighthouse of the Reader: A Commentary on the Abridgment of Sahih al-Bukhari) is a contemporary five-volume hadith commentary authored by the Saudi scholar Hamza Muhammad Qasim (d. 1431 AH / 2010 CE), providing a simplified, moderate explanation of his own abridgment of Sahih al-Bukhari .
Background and Purpose
The author, a graduate of the Higher Department of Madrasat al-'Ulum al-Shar'iyyah in Medina, conceived the project as the fulfillment of a long-standing aspiration to produce a service to Sahih al-Bukhari . He initially created a moderate summary of the collection and subsequently composed an accessible commentary designed for students of knowledge and general readers .
Method and Structure
The work is organized in five volumes and follows a systematic approach for each selected hadith :
- Biographies and Terminology: Concise biographical sketches for key narrators and clarification of obscure vocabulary .
- Explanation and Derivation: Elucidation of the textual meaning, followed by legal deductions and rulings representing the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali) as well as majority and minority scholarly positions .
- Doctrinal Guidance: Clarification of creedal matters along the lines of the early generations (Ahl al-Sunnah wa-al-Jama'ah), treating divine lordship, divine names and attributes, worship, and predestination without anthropomorphism or negation .
- Cross-referencing and Chapter Alignment: Clarification of how each narration aligns with al-Bukhari's chapter headings, alongside documentation (takhrij) drawn primarily from Badr al-Din al-'Ayni's 'Umdat al-Qari and partly from Jami' al-Usul .
- Contemporary Issues: Integration of modern medical, social, and commercial discussions relevant to contemporary readers within the chapters on transactions, medicine, and social conduct .
The commentary concludes with the final hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari, the narration of Abu Hurayrah concerning the two phrases beloved to the Merciful: كلمتان حبيبتان إلى الرحمن، خفيفتان على اللسان، ثقيلتان في الميزان، سبحان الله وبحمده، سبحان الله العظيم ("Two phrases are beloved to the Most Merciful, light on the tongue, and heavy in the Scale: Glory be to Allah and His is the praise, Glory be to Allah the Tremendous") .
Review and Publication
When Qasim completed the manuscript, he traveled to Damascus and submitted it to the hadith scholar 'Abd al-Qadir al-Arna'ut for revision . Al-Arna'ut read the complete text, checked the hadith narrations and chains, and appended annotations throughout the margins, which are marked with the letter 'ayn (ع) . Al-Arna'ut finalized his preface to the book on 17 Rabi' al-Awwal 1409 AH (27 October 1988 CE) .
The work was prepared and published by Bashir Muhammad 'Uyun through Maktabat Dar al-Bayan in Damascus and Maktabat al-Mu'ayyad in al-Ta'if, with typesetting and proofreading assisted by Hasan al-Samahi, and was printed in Beirut in 1410 AH / 1990 CE .
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