Thawab Qada Hawaij al-Ikhwan
- Author died
- 510 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashā’ir al-Islāmiyyah
Thawab Qada Hawaij al-Ikhwan (The Reward for Fulfilling the Needs of Brethren), also recorded under the fuller title Thawab Qada Hawaij al-Ikhwan wa-Ma Ja'a fi Ighathat al-Lahfan (The Reward for Fulfilling the Needs of Brethren and What Has Been Related Regarding Relieving the Distressed), is a specialized hadith treatise (juz') compiled by the Kufan hadith scholar Abu al-Ghana'im al-Narsi (424–510 AH / 1033–1116 CE) .
Subject and Scope
The work belongs to the thematic hadith genre focused on noble conduct and social virtue, specifically addressing the spiritual rewards associated with aiding fellow Muslims, fulfilling their needs, and relieving individuals who are distressed or in hardship . Al-Narsi composed the work in the form of a concise hadith monograph containing prophetic traditions and narrations transmitted with their chains of narration (asānīd) .
Among the narrations transmitted in the text is the prophetic report: من ستر أخاه المسلم ستره الله يوم القيامة، ومن نفس عن أخيه كربة من كرب الدنيا نفس الله عنه كربة من كرب الآخرة، والله في عون العبد ما كان العبد في عون أخيه ("Whoever conceals the faults of his Muslim brother, God will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever relieves his brother of a distress from the distresses of this world, God will relieve him of a distress from the distresses of the Hereafter; and God remains in aid of the servant as long as the servant is in aid of his brother") . It also includes traditions on feeding the hungry and providing relief to believers .
Transmission
The text was preserved and studied among later traditionists through transmission chains reaching al-Narsi . Al-Suyuti documented receiving the work through an auditory chain traced via 'Abd al-Muhsin ibn Turayk al-Muqri' back to al-Narsi, as well as an elevated transmission via general authorization (ijāzah) originating from the traditionist Abu al-Fadl Ibn Nasir from Abu al-Ghana'im al-Narsi .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript copies of the work have survived in several manuscript collections across the world:
- Al-Zahiriyyah Library in Damascus (MS 9397) .
- The Chester Beatty Library in Dublin (MS 3490) .
- The National Library in Cairo (Mulhaq MS 20562/b, dated 721 AH) .
- The Raza Library in Rampur, India (MS 1/83 [142]) .
- The Central Library in Riyadh (MS 1611/F) .
The treatise was edited by 'Amir Hasan Sabri and published by Dar al-Basha'ir al-Islamiyyah in Beirut in 1414 AH / 1993 CE as part of a series devoted to short hadith treatises (Silsilat al-Ajza' al-Hadithiyyah) .
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