Wafa al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmīyah
Wafa al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa (Fulfillment of Faith Regarding the Reports of the Abode of the Chosen One) is an extensive historical and topographical work on the city of Medina and the Prophet's Mosque by the Shafi'i scholar and historian al-Samhudi (844–911 AH / 1440–1506 CE) .
Composition and Transmission
The author initially compiled an expansive history titled Iqtifa al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa (or simply al-Wafa), which he subsequently condensed into Wafa al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa . Al-Samhudi completed the abridgment in Medina on 24 Jumada al-Ula 886 AH . After traveling to Mecca, news reached him of the disastrous fire that struck the Prophet's Mosque in Medina; because the original comprehensive draft was lost in the conflagration, only his abridged text survived with him in Mecca . He incorporated an account of the fire and prepared a fair copy in Mecca in Shawwal 886 AH, subsequently appending details regarding the rebuilding of the mosque after his return to Medina in 888 AH .
Al-Samhudi later abridged this work into an epitome entitled Khulasat al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa . The text was also translated into Ottoman Turkish by Muhammad al-Ashiq al-Hanafi al-Rumi under the title Khulasat al-Akhbar .
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into eight thematic parts (abwab) :
- Names of Medina: Enumerates and analyzes the ancient and Islamic names of the city .
- Merits and Legal Rulings of the Sanctuary: Discusses the virtues of Medina, the incentives for residing and dying there, the boundaries of its sacred sanctuary (haram), and the jurisprudence pertaining to it .
- Inhabitants and Settlements: Covers the historical populations of Medina from pre-Islamic antiquity to the Islamic era, including tribal settlements, homes surrounding the mosque, and urban fortifications .
- The Prophet's Mosque: Details the mosque's founding, initial dimensions, consecutive expansions under various caliphs, sacred pillars, the minbar, the Rawdah, the Prophet's sacred chamber (al-hujrah al-sharifah), historical fires, and subsequent restorations up to the reign of Sultan Qaytbay .
- Sites of Prophetic Prayers and Other Mosques: Examines the open-air prayer ground (musalla), the Quba Mosque, historic mosques across Medina and its environs, and the prayer sites situated along the historical route between Mecca and Medina .
- Wells, Endowments, and Cemeteries: Documents the historic wells associated with the Prophet ﷺ, his charitable endowments (sadaqat), the cemetery of al-Baqi', and Mount Uhud along with its martyrs .
- Valleys, Pastures, and Gazetteer: Describes the topography, mountains, protected pastures (ahma), and valleys of Medina, concluding with an alphabetical gazetteer of place names, landmarks, forts, and expedition sites .
- Visitation of the Prophet ﷺ: Gathers textual proofs, rulings, and manners (adab) regarding visiting the Prophet's grave and making supplication .
Methodology and Sources
Al-Samhudi synthesizes material from earlier regional histories and geographical works, citing authorities such as Ibn Shabba's Tarikh al-Madina and al-Majd al-Fairuzabadi's al-Maghanim al-Mutaba fi Ma'alim Taba, while editing, rectifying, and expanding upon their texts . Alongside transmitted reports and hadiths, he incorporated first-hand empirical data by taking physical measurements of architectural monuments and topographical landmarks, recording direct eyewitness observations of the mosque's reconstruction and the inner chamber .
Modern Editions
The work has been printed in multiple editions, notably:
- An edition edited by Muhammad Muhyi al-Din Abd al-Hamid, published in Cairo and Beirut .
- A critical edition prepared by Qasim al-Samarra'i, published by the Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation (2001) .
- An edition prepared and annotated by Khalid Abd al-Ghani Mahfuz, published by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah .
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