Sharh Mukhtasar al-Shamail al-Muhammadiyya
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- Sharh Mukhtasar al-Shamail al-Muhammadiyya
Sharh Mukhtasar al-Shamail al-Muhammadiyya (Explanation of the Abridgment of the Muhammadan Characteristics) is a contemporary commentary by Hani Ahmad Faqih on his own abridgment of the classic collection of prophetic traits compiled by Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi (209–279 AH / 824–892 CE) .
Background and Composition
The base text of the work is al-Tirmidhi's al-Shamail al-Muhammadiyya, one of the foremost and most widely studied classical treatises dedicated to the physical traits, character, and daily life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . Completed in 1441 AH by Hani Ahmad Faqih—a professor of Hadith and its sciences at the College of Hadith in the Islamic University of Madinah—the commentary was designed to provide a modern, accessible presentation suited to contemporary readers .
Before commenting on the collection, Faqih abridged al-Tirmidhi's original text in two main steps:
- Omitting the chains of transmission (asānīd) while retaining the narrating Companion .
- Excising all weak narrations (al-ahadith al-da'ifah), restricting the commentary strictly to acceptable reports (da'irat al-qubul) according to authoritative hadith scholars .
Method and Structure
Faqih composed a medium-length commentary selected from earlier classical commentaries on the Shamail and major commentaries on standard hadith corpora . He intentionally steered away from exhaustive discussions of grammatical parsing (i'rab), rhetorical intricacies, and elaborate sectarian legal divergences (al-tafsilat al-madhhabiyya), focusing instead on the legal and moral understanding of the hadiths (fiqh al-hadith), their practical guidance, and behavioral etiquette .
For each hadith, the author organizes the commentary into numbered analytical facets (wujūh):
- Biography of the narrator: A concise overview of the Companion transmitting the report .
- Takhrij (Source attribution): Referencing the report to primary hadith collections, prioritizing Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, or the wider Six Books .
- Vocabulary and linguistics: Clarifying unusual and difficult words (gharib al-hadith) .
- Exposition and deductions: Explaining the physical or moral attributes described, harmonizing seemingly contradictory narrations, and deriving behavioral and jurisprudential lessons .
Scope and Content
The work encompasses the diverse topics covered in al-Tirmidhi's compilation, defining shamail as innate dispositions, noble manners, and character traits . In addition to moral qualities such as humility, bravery, forbearance, and generosity, the text covers:
- Physical features, bodily form, and grooming .
- Acts of worship, including nocturnal prayer, fasting, and Quran recitation .
- Personal belongings and clothing, such as footwear, cloaks, turbans, signet rings, armor, swords, and drinking vessels .
- Dietary habits, foods, and drinks .
- Prophetic names, age, events surrounding his death, inheritance, and seeing the Prophet ﷺ in dreams .
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