Ibn al-Jawzi
Muthir al-Gharam al-Sakin ila Ashraf al-Amakin
- Author died
- 597 AH
- Editions
- t Dar al-Hadith
Muthir al-Gharam al-Sakin ila Ashraf al-Amakin (Inciting Still Longing to the Noblest of Places) is a treatise by the Hanbali polymath Ibn al-Jawzi (509/510–597 AH / 1116–1201 CE) dedicated to the history and virtues of the Two Holy Sanctuaries (Mecca and Medina) as well as the rites and legal rulings of the pilgrimage (Hajj).
Scope and Contents
The work addresses both the devotional and historical dimensions of the pilgrimage, combining legal rulings concerning the rites of Hajj with accounts of holy sites. It opens with the obligation and virtues of Hajj, the censure of neglecting it without an excuse, and rulings for those physically incapable of performing it. Ibn al-Jawzi details the spiritual yearning of the soul for Mecca, preparations for the journey, generosity toward traveling companions, and the etiquette of departure and travel.
The text also contains chapters on the yearning of camels and camel-drivers' chants, performing Hajj on foot, famous desert waystations and milestones along the pilgrimage route, anecdotes of pious nomads, and acts of charity such as providing water on the road. Subsequent sections cover the sacred boundaries and veneration of the sanctuary, the prescribed stations of ihram (mawaqit), the three types of pilgrimage (tamattu', qiran, and ifrad), the conduct of the pilgrim in ihram, and the talbiya. It further examines the history and well-known names of Mecca—such as al-Balad, al-Qarya, and Umm al-Qura—along with their etymologies and linguistic derivations.
Transmission, Titles, and Reception
Biographers and bibliographers describe the treatise as a single volume. Ibn Rajab listed it in his biographical compendium of the Hanbali school as Muthir al-'Azm al-Sakin ila Ashraf al-Amakin, as did al-Dhahabi in Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' and Haji Khalifa in Kashf al-Zunun. Haji Khalifa noted that it was cited by Taqiyy al-Din al-Hisni in his polemic against Ibn Taymiyya. Isma'il Pasha al-Baghdadi in Hadiyyat al-'Arifin and Ibn al-Mubarrad in Mu'jam al-Kutub recorded the title with Muthir al-Gharam in place of Muthir al-'Azm.
Manuscripts and Publications
Manuscripts of the work are preserved across several institutions, including:
- The Bodleian Library at Oxford (MS 2/571, 129).
- The Berlin State Library (MSS 4542 and 1452).
- The Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (MS 53117).
- The Fatih Mosque Library in Istanbul (MS 4470).
- Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya in Cairo (MS 1432 History).
- Selected excerpts at Princeton University (MS 171).
The text has been published under the title Muthir al-'Azm al-Sakin fi Fada'il al-Biqa' wa-l-Amakin by the German Orient Institute in Beirut, and under the title Muthir al-'Azm al-Sakin ila Ashraf al-Amakin in Cairo and Riyadh, edited by Marzuq 'Ali Ibrahim with an introduction by Hammad ibn Muhammad al-Ansari (Dar al-Raya, 1415 AH / 1995 CE).
Answer updated