Sharh al-Zarqani ala al-Muwatta
- Author died
- 1122 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Thaqāfah al-Dīniyyah
Sharh al-Zarqani ala al-Muwatta (Arabic: شرح الزرقاني على الموطأ) is an extensive commentary on the Muwatta of Imam Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH / 795 CE), authored by the Egyptian Maliki scholar and hadith specialist Muhammad ibn Abd al-Baqi al-Zurqani (1055–1122 AH / 1645–1710 CE).
Content and Method
The work provides an exhaustive exposition of the Muwatta, commenting upon its narrations, legal rulings, linguistic expressions, and chains of transmission (isnad). The commentary centers on the recension of Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi (d. 234 AH), which is the most widespread transmission of Malik's Muwatta.
In his introduction to the commentary, al-Zurqani discusses the biography and virtues of Imam Malik, tracing his lineage back to Ya'rub ibn Yashjub ibn Qahtan al-Asbahi. He addresses scholarly positions on Malik's ancestors, such as the status of Abu 'Amir—noting disagreement over whether he was a Companion or a veteran Follower (mukhadram)—and highlights the standing of Malik's grandfather, Malik ibn Abi 'Amir, as an eminent Follower who narrated from Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, and A'isha. Al-Zurqani also cites classical assessments regarding Malik's rigor in hadith criticism and transmission.
Scope and Publication
Classical and later biographers described the work as an expansive and peerless commentary on the Muwatta. Siddiq Hasan Khan recorded it as an extensive commentary (sharh basit) in three volumes, while Ali Mubarak noted it as being in two large volumes and unmatched in its format. The work circulated widely in manuscript form and was later printed in Egypt in editions dated 1280 AH (1863/1864 CE) and 1310 AH (1892/1893 CE). Later hadith scholars and teachers utilized al-Zurqani's commentary alongside standard Maliki reference works such as Ibn Abd al-Barr's al-Istidhkar, Abu al-Walid al-Baji's al-Muntaqa, Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi's al-Qabas, and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's Tanwir al-Hawalik.
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