This book is a collection 327 hadiths which the author, Shaykh 'Ashiq Ilahi al-Bulandshehri, compiled from 'Allama Tabrizi’s renowned hadith compilation, Mishkat al-Masabih. The book contains many jawami' al-kalim, as well as prophecies and other accounts and narratives.
Imam Nawawi wrote: “The science of hadith is the noblest means of attaining closeness to the Lord of the Worlds”
The Messenger of Allâh (upon him be peace) was given exceptional oratorical skills. His words were eloquent, comprehensive, and simple, conveying libraries of wisdoms and truths. The Messenger (upon him be peace) himself said, “I have been sent with the jawâmi' al-kalim” (Bukhârî)—that is, succinct language that expresses a multitude of meanings in few words.
Bookstores and libraries today are full of books of proverbs, coined by historical personages and political and religious leaders. But each of these pales in comparison to the eloquence of the Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace) and philosophers and sages seem nothing more than struggling students in the light of his divinely inspired wisdom.
The book is ultimately a compilation of hadîths meant to inspire the souls of today’s Muslims and give them a glimpse at the charisma of the Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace) and a roadmap with which they can achieve closeness to their Lord.
This work is taught in many of the madrasas around the world as a first hadith work. Now it is available in this beautifully bound English edition with a commentary from the classical sources.
About The Author
Mufti Ashiq Ilahi al-Bulandshehri was a prolific writer and eminent scholar of the Indian Subcontinent, Shaykh ‘Ashiq Ilahi al-Bulandshehri (or al-Barni) was born in 1343 AH in Bulandshehr of Uttar Pradesh. After attaining his primary education at Madrasa Imdadiyya Moradabad and Jami‘ Masjid Aligarh, he traveled to Mazahir ‘Ulum Saharanpur in pursuit of higher knowledge. After completing his studies, he taught various subjects at Ferozpur Jhirka, Hayat al-Ulum Moradabad, and at different madrasas throughout Calcutta.
He later taught at Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi for several years at the request of Mufti Muhammad Shafi’, where he assumed responsibility of the fatwa department and taught students hadith and tafsir. The Shaykh later migrated to Madina, where he spent the last 25 years of his life. He was a disciple of the hadith scholar Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi. Dozens of his books have been well received in many countries.
Tohfa-e khawatin (Gift for women), Marne ke bad kya hoga? (What Happens After Death?), Islami adab (Islamic conduct), Huquq al-walidayn (Rights of parents), and Anwar al-bayan (Illuminating Discourses on the Noble Qur'an: Tafsir of the Qur'an), are among the well-known books he authored. In the field of hadith, he authored Provisions for the Seekers: The Zad al-Talibin,and Al-Fawa’id al-saniyya fi sharh al-Arba‘in al-Nawawiyya (The lofty beneficial points in the explanation of Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths). As for jurisprudence, he is the author of Al-Tashil al-daruri fi masa’il al-Quduri (The necessary facilitation of the laws of Quduri), as well as dozens of reformative booklets and articles. He passed away in the illuminated city of Madina at the age of 80 and was buried there in the Baqi‘ graveyard, as had been his desire.
About The Translator
Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera, has been studying the traditional Islamic sciences and writing scholarly works for most of his life. He completed the bulk of his studies at Darul Uloom in England and then in South Africa (where he attended Madrasah Zakariyyah part-time to gain specialized training in answering legal questions [ifta’] under Mufti Rada al-Haq, he also completed a B.A. with honors in Islamic studies at Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg, under Professor Abdur-Rahman Doi, Ph.D.)
He then traveled to Syria, where he received a second certification in Qur’anic recitation and memorization, this time from Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Halabi, who possessed a short, unbroken chain of transmission [sanad] to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) in this subject. He also received a certification from Shaykh Adib Kallas after reading Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari’s Sharh al-Fiqh al-Akbar and attending lectures on other classical texts of Islamic creed [‘aqida].
He spent the following year in Saharanpur, India, where he received formal authorization to issue legal rulings [fatawa], which required a close study of part or all of a number of classical jurisprudential texts, including, among others, Ibn Nujaym’s Al-Ashbah wa ’l-naza’ir and ‘Allama Haskafi’s Al-Durr al-mukhtar (along with its commentary, Radd al-muhtar, by ‘Allama Ibn ‘Abidin al-Shami). During this time, Mufti Abdur-Rahman also attended classes on the principles of hadith [usul al-hadith], studying ‘Allama Lakhnawi’s Al-Raf ‘ wa ’l-takmil fi ’l-jarh wa ’l-ta’dil and parts of Imam Suyuti’s Tadrib al-rawi.
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