Qurrat al-Ayn bil-Masarra bi-Wafa al-Din
- Author died
- 806 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Ṣaḥābah lil-Turāth
Qurrat al-Ayn bil-Masarra bi-Wafa al-Din (The Delight of the Eye in the Joy of Settling Debt) is a concise hadith treatise by the scholar Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi (d. 806 AH / 1404 CE) dedicated to the legal and spiritual dimensions of debt, borrowing, and debt relief in Islamic tradition.
Structure and Content
Al-Iraqi opens the treatise with praise of God who apportioned provisions among His servants, noting that he compiled the relevant transmitted reports after seeking divine guidance (istikhara). He structured the work into an introduction and seven thematic chapters:
- Prohibition of Incurring Debt: Addresses warnings and stern admonitions against taking on debt unnecessarily.
- Encouragement to Lend: Highlights the virtues and divine rewards promised to wealth owners who extend loans to those in need.
- Respite and Debt Remission for the Insolvent: Details the virtue of granting extensions to debtors experiencing hardship (al-muʿsir) or forgiving portions of their debt.
- Borrowing to Seek Divine Assistance: Examines reports concerning those who borrow out of necessity while intending to repay and seeking God's help.
- The Believer's Soul Bound by Debt: Gathers narrations indicating that a believer's soul remains pledged or suspended on account of outstanding debts until they are discharged.
- Prophetic Refuge from Debt: Collects traditions on the Prophet's ﷺ supplications seeking refuge from the burden and overpowering of debt, as well as from poverty, scarcity, and humiliation.
- Transmitted Supplications for Settling Debts: Presents traditional prayers and supplications (adʿiya maʾthura) specifically prescribed for the relief and repayment of debts, which al-Iraqi designated as the primary objective of the treatise.
Transmission and Publication
The attribution of the text to al-Iraqi is documented in biographical and bibliographical references, including Haji Khalifa's Kashf al-Zunun and al-Suyuti's Dhayl Tabaqat al-Huffaz. Al-Sakhawi also records that Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani abridged works by his teacher al-Iraqi, listing this text among those associated with him.
A manuscript of the work is preserved in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah under the Taymur collection (hadith no. 495; microfilm no. 3784), comprising 78 pages written with 11 lines per page, alongside another cataloged copy (no. 23180 b). The treatise was published in an edition prepared by the research department at Dar al-Sahaba lil-Turath in Tanta, Egypt, in 1411 AH / 1991 CE.
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