Mukhtasar Qiyam al-Layl wa Qiyam Ramadan wa Kitab al-Witr
- Author died
- 294 AH
- Editions
- Ḥadīth Akādamī
Mukhtasar Qiyam al-Layl wa Qiyam Ramadan wa Kitab al-Witr (Abridgment of the Night Prayer, Ramadan Night Prayer, and the Book of Witr) is an abridgment by the historian and scholar Ahmad ibn Ali al-Maqrizi (d. 845 AH / 1442 CE) of the works on voluntary night prayer compiled by the traditionist and jurist Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi (202–294 AH / 817–906 CE) .
Background and Composition
The original compilation of Qiyam al-Layl by al-Marwazi was an extensive work; the Shafi'i jurist al-Isnawi noted examining it in two bulky volumes transcribed and read back to al-Marwazi in Rabi' al-Awwal 287 AH . Al-Maqrizi condensed al-Marwazi's treatises on the subject—Qiyam al-Layl, Qiyam Ramadan, and Kitab al-Witr—into a single compact volume .
In his introduction to the abridgment, al-Maqrizi defined his editorial method as:
- Eliminating duplicate transmissions among the narrated prophetic hadiths and non-prophetic reports (athar) .
- Preserving all attributed prophetic hadiths along with their complete chains of transmission (asānīd) .
- Retaining all non-prophetic companion and successor reports while omitting their chains of transmission .
Subject Matter and Scope
The work belongs to the genre of thematic hadith and legal texts (ajzāʾ hadīthiyyah), combining textual evidences from the Quran and Sunnah with the juristic opinions of early Muslim authorities (al-salaf) . Al-Marwazi structured the material into topical chapters, often opening each chapter with relevant Quranic verses before presenting hadiths and legal rulings .
The contents address a broad spectrum of legal and devotional topics related to night vigils, including:
- The legal obligation and virtues of night prayer, as well as the interpretation of Quranic verses concerning it .
- The virtues of standing in prayer during Ramadan, establishing that the Prophet ﷺ performed voluntary night prayers in congregation during the month .
- The number of units (rakʿāt) performed by the prayer leader in Ramadan and the length of Quranic recitation in each unit .
- The timing of the night vigil, women praying and leading prayers, reciting directly from a physical copy of the Quran (al-muṣḥaf), and receiving remuneration for leading people in prayer .
Reception and Print History
The book has been cited and relied upon by later scholars, including Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib and al-Isabah, Shams al-Haqq al-Azimabadi in Awn al-Ma'bud, and al-Mubarakfuri in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi . Its attribution to al-Marwazi was also recorded by Katip Celebi (Hajji Khalifa) in Kashf al-Zunun .
The text has been published in several editions:
- Printed in Lahore at Matba'at Rifah-i 'Am in 1320 AH under the supervision of Hafiz Abd al-Tawwab al-Multani, accompanied by marginal annotations .
- Issued as a lithograph in Pakistan in 1389 AH, supervised and annotated by Abd al-Shakur al-Athari .
- Republished from al-Athari's text under the title Mukhtasar Qiyam al-Layl wa Qiyam Ramadan wa Kitab al-Witr by Idarat Hadith Academy in Faisalabad, Pakistan .
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