Tashnif al-Masami bi-Jam al-Jawami
- Author died
- 794 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Qurtubah lil-Bahth al-Ilmi wa-Ihya' al-Turath
Tashnif al-Masami bi-Jam al-Jawami (Pleasing the Ears with [the Commentary on] the Gathering of Gatherings) is an extensive commentary on legal theory (usul al-fiqh) composed by the Shafi'i jurist and scholar Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi (d. 794 AH / 1392 CE) . It explicates Jam' al-Jawami' (The Gathering of Gatherings), the celebrated primer on legal theory compiled by Taj al-Din al-Subki (d. 771 AH / 1370 CE) .
Background and Purpose
In his introduction, al-Zarkashi states that Jam' al-Jawami' had attained significant acclaim for its condensed phrasing, dense legal definitions, rare transmissions, and intricate questions; however, its dense brevity left scholars and students in need of an exposition to unlock its difficult passages, explain its underlying aims, and reveal its insights . While al-Subki himself had addressed only a small number of queries concerning the work, al-Zarkashi authored his commentary to systematically untangle the text, steering between excessive brevity and tedious verbosity .
Method and Reception
The book is structured as an integrated, interwoven commentary (sharh mamzuj), embedding the original text of al-Subki within al-Zarkashi's explanations, linguistic elucidations, and doctrinal assessments . As one of the earliest comprehensive commentaries written on Jam' al-Jawami', it became a primary reference for subsequent commentators on the work .
The prominent scholar Abu Zur'ah Ibn al-Iraqi (d. 826 AH) prepared an abridgment of al-Zarkashi's commentary in his own work, al-Ghayth al-Hami' fi Sharh Jam' al-Jawami' . Al-Zarkashi's student Shams al-Din al-Barmawi cited the commentary frequently in his writings, occasionally engaging with or re-examining al-Zarkashi's conclusions on specific legal questions .
Printed Editions
The work has been published in several forms:
- An early portion was printed in Cairo in 1322 AH within a compilation of commentaries on Jam' al-Jawami' .
- A four-volume edition edited by 'Abd Allah Rabi' and Sayyid 'Abd al-'Aziz, published jointly by Mu'assasat Qurtubah and al-Maktabah al-Makkiyyah .
- A two-volume edition edited by Abu 'Amr al-Husayni ibn 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-Rahim, published by Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah in Beirut (1420 AH / 2000 CE) .
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