Sharh al-Kharashi ala Mukhtasar Khalil - wa maahu Hashiyat al-Adawi
- Author died
- 1101 AH
- Editions
- al-Matba'ah al-Kubra al-Amiriyyah
Sharh al-Kharashi ala Mukhtasar Khalil - wa maahu Hashiyat al-Adawi is a major reference in late Maliki jurisprudence, comprising the commentary by the Egyptian scholar Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Kharashi (1010–1101 AH / 1601–1690 CE) on Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jundi's foundational legal manual Mukhtasar Khalil, accompanied by the marginal gloss (hashiya) of Ali ibn Ahmad al-Sa'idi al-Adawi (1112–1189 AH / 1700–1775 CE) .
Background and Composition
Mukhtasar Khalil is among the most authoritative summaries of Maliki positive law, known for its extreme conciseness and comprehensive coverage of relied-upon legal rulings . Al-Kharashi, who served as the first Grand Imam of al-Azhar, composed two distinct commentaries on the Mukhtasar: a comprehensive work (al-Sharh al-Kabir) and an abridged one (al-Sharh al-Saghir) . In the preface to his larger work, al-Kharashi explained that his father, Abd Allah ibn Ali al-Kharashi, had gathered scattered notes and legal sub-branches without attributing them to their original sources, prompting him to trace those citations and provide full explanations and qualifications for each legal issue .
The shorter commentary (al-Sharh al-Saghir) achieved wider circulation than the larger one, especially across North Africa and Egypt, and became the standard textbook studied and annotated by later scholars .
Content and Hashiyat al-Adawi
The work covers the full spectrum of Maliki legal topics, including ritual worship (ibadat), transactions (muamalat), family law, judicial procedures, and penal rulings. Al-Kharashi clarifies the elliptical wording of the base text, unpacks its implied rulings, and outlines the authoritative positions of the Maliki school .
The gloss by Ali al-Sa'idi al-Adawi was written directly on al-Kharashi's al-Sharh al-Saghir . Prior to al-Adawi, Maliki scholars generally did not produce formal sub-commentaries (hawashi) on the school's jurisprudence texts; al-Adawi was regarded as the first to introduce this pedagogical genre extensively to Maliki legal literature . His marginalia elucidates linguistic subtleties, addresses complex scenarios, verifies attributions to early authorities, and corrects occasional ambiguities in the commentary .
Reception and Print History
The combined work became a standard curricular text for advanced students of Maliki jurisprudence at al-Azhar and across the Islamic world .
The text was published in multiple historical editions:
- An edition printed at the Bulaq Press in eight volumes (1299 AH / 1882 CE; reissued in 1317 AH), featuring al-Kharashi's commentary alongside al-Adawi's marginal notes .
- A Cairo edition published in five volumes (1307 AH / 1889 CE), though bibliographers noted the Bulaq printing to be superior in textual accuracy .
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