Sharh al-Sudur bi Sharh Hal al-Mawta wal-Qubur
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Ma'rifah
Sharh al-Sudur bi-Sharh Hal al-Mawta wal-Qubur (Explaining the Breasts by Expounding the State of the Dead and the Graves) is a specialized treatise on the intermediate realm (al-barzakh) and the conditions of the deceased, authored by the Egyptian scholar al-Jalal al-Suyuti (849–911 AH / 1445–1505 CE) .
Purpose and Scope
Al-Suyuti composed the work to provide a comprehensive reference on the science of the intermediate realm (ilm al-barzakh), addressing the widespread interest among students of knowledge for an exhaustive compilation on the subject . Chronologically tracing the journey of the soul, the book begins with the onset of mortal illness and death, detailing the virtues and manner of dying, the characteristics of the Angel of Death and his assistants, and the experiences confronting the individual during the death agony (al-ihtidar) .
The text covers the state of the soul after departing the body, its ascent to God, its gathering with other souls, and its designated dwelling place in the barzakh . It further examines the conditions of the grave, including the compression of the grave (dammat al-qabr), its trials and questioning, its punishment and bliss, its expansion and constriction, and the deeds and offerings from the living that benefit the deceased, concluding its scope at the blowing of the Trumpet (al-nafkh fi al-sur) . In his introduction, al-Suyuti noted his intention to supplement this book with companion works covering the portents of the Day of Judgment, the Resurrection, and the descriptions of Paradise and Hell .
Structure and Method
The work is organized thematically into specific chapters, encompassing topics such as the beginning of death, rulings and traditions concerning wishing for death—distinguishing between doing so out of worldly hardship and doing so out of fear of tribulations affecting one's religion—and the categories of people exempt from the questioning in the grave .
Al-Suyuti constructed the text by compiling prophetic hadiths (marfu), companion reports (mawquf), and early successor traditions (maqtu) extracted from primary hadith collections, while relying on the critical evaluations and rulings of leading hadith authorities . Methodologically, he drew upon the material presented in al-Tadhkirah bi-Ahwal al-Mawta wa-Umur al-Akhirah by al-Qurtubi, refining its contents, verifying and sourcing its narrations (takhrij), and incorporating numerous additional reports not found in al-Qurtubi's original compilation .
Editions
The work has been published in multiple modern editions, including:
- An edition published by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah (Beirut, 1404 AH) .
- An edition edited by Yusuf Ali Badiwi, published by Dar Ibn Kathir .
- An edition edited by Abd al-Majid Tu'mah Halabi, published by Dar al-Ma'rifah (Beirut, 1417 AH) .
- An edition issued by Dar al-Madani in Jeddah .
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