EVALUATION OF MISHKAT AL-MASABIH AS A SOURCE BOOK OF HADITH AND ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE

From the very beginning Muslims concerned themselves with the Holy Qur'an and Hadith. These two sources of Islam, in due course, gave rise to other branches of Islamic learnings such as Law and Jurisprudence, Theology, Grammar, History, etc.

Initially, Hadith was linked to the Sirah and Tafsir literature (i.e. literature which dealt with the life of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and intepretations of the Qur'anic text). It was only in the second century Hijri that the Muhaddithun (scholars of Hadith) finally segregated Hadith from tafsir literature and thus an independent science of Hadith came into being. This move was necessary for the development and preservation of Hadith.

Tafsir, Hadith and other Islamic Sciences form the core of the curriculum in educational institutions throughout the Muslim world and it may therefore be appropriate to give an account of the evolution of the system of education in the Muslim world. The Masjid (Mosque) that existed in towns and villages, was a convenient place to use it as an educational institution also. Then gradually maktabs (elementary religious schools), separate from the Masjid, came into existence. Thereafter, centres for higher education were established. For example, Madrasah al-Nuriyah in Damascus (Syria) Al-Azhar University in Cairo (Egypt), and the Nizamiyah in Baghddd ('Iraq) came into existence. The curriculum of these institutions covered the religious and social sciences and Arabic language and literature. The Qur'an and Hadith, as mentioned earlier, formed an integral part of the curriculum. Here, it must be noted that all branches of Hadith such as the Usul (Principles), Naqd al-Hadith (Science of Criticism of Hadith), the Science of Reconciling apparently opposing Hadith texts became fully fledged sciences and were all incorporated into the curriculum.

The process of collection of Hadith, within a short period of time, gained momentum and this gave rise to the appearance of a large number of Hadith compilations within the Muslim world. This phenomenon was a blessing for it served as an inspiration for later scholars to compile condensed works of selected and important Ahadith for the benefit of those who did not possess sufficient skill and had no time to consult the bulky and voluminous collections of Hadith literature. These selected works on Hadith were compiled either in the form of Musnad or Musannaf compilations. Each of these works reflected its compiler's affiliation to a particular school of Islamic Jurisprudence.

It was during the eight century Hijri, when 'Allamah al-Tibi was in the midst of writing his celebrated commentary on the Qur'an entitled Al-Kashshaf that he felt the need of compiling a Hadith textbook, free from any Fiqh school bias.

Compilation of Mishkat al-Masabih
Masabih al-Sunnah was at that time the only concise Hadith book. Its compiler took great care to provide such materials that were indispensable for regulating the practical lives of Muslims in accordance to the dictates of Islam. Thus, al-Tibi entrusted his student al-Tabrizi with the task of improving upon this work so that it could serve as an introductory book on Hadith and Fiqh. This improved version of Masabih al-Sunnah was entitled Mishkat al-Masabih and was completed on the eve of 'Id al-Fitr (the Festival following the termination of the Ramadan Fast) in 737/1336. On the following day, the student presented it to his teacher, who wasted no time and wrote a commentary on it entitled al-Kashif. Al-Tibi was pleased with the efforts of his student and this may have prompted him to write a commentary on Mishkat al-Masabih.

Views of Some Muslim Scholars on Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih undoubtedly covers a wide variety of topics which are of vital importance to a student of Islam or a lay Muslim. 'Allamah Ibn Hajar al-Haythami al-Makki (d. 973/1565) in his Fath al-Ilah admitted that the Mishkat was the best arranged compilation during his time. Mawlana Muhammad Idris Kandihlwi pointed out in the introduction of his commentary on the Mishkat entitled al-Ta'liq al-Sabih 'ala Mishkat al-Masabih that none would be able to be in a position to find among the collections of Hadith a book that was more complete than the Mishkat. Shaykh 'Abd al-Haq Dihlawi in his al-Lamahat al-Tanqih described Mishkat al-Masabih as a book that was free from errors, containing such Ahadith relevant to the knowledge and practice of Islam, and was of the opinion that any improvement on the Mishkat was unimaginable in view of the fact that its competent author had exerted considerable intellectual acumen in the process of compiling it. The renown scholar, Shah Wali Allah (d.1174/1762), advised potential Muslim scholars to acquaint themselves with the Arabic language so that they could be in a position to study the Mishkat.

The Mishkat as a Standard Textbook
The Mishkat, since its compilation, became a standard textbook for studying Hadith and also as an introductory source book of Islamic Jurisprudence. Its compiler, Al-Tabrizi, paved the way for this by taking it upon himself to teach it privately in Herat, Iran, and later he taught it at the Nizamiyah in Baghdad, Iraq. Thereafter, the Mishkat was also introduced in the curriculum of other religious institutions in Egypt, Syria, and in Makkah al-Mukarramah in 983/1575.

Islamic education was at its zenith and perhaps past its meridian when Islam came to India as a permanent political force in the last decade of the 12th century C.E. It brought in its wake its own system of education and in the succeeding years, religious educational institutions came into existence. These institutions have more or less continued to function on the same pattern up to the present times.

Mishkat al-Masabih was taught at Madrasah of Firuz Shah at Haus Khas in New Delhi (14th century C.E.), at the Institute in Bidar (15th century C.E.) which was named after Mahmud Gawan (d. 887/1482) and also at the Madrasah Purana Awliya in New Delhi (16th century C.E.).

In the first part of the 18th century, some reforms were carried out in the religious curriculum by Shah Wali Allah and Mulla Nizamuddin of Sihali (d. 1160/1748). The syllabus that was designed by them came to be known as Al-Dars al-Nizami, named after Mulla Nizamuddin. It must be pointed out that the Mishkat was the only book of Hadith that was included in the syllabus.

Thus, to this day, Mishkat al-Masabih remains part of the syllabus of hundreds of Islamic religious institutions in the Indo-Pak subcontinent, such as Dar al-'Ulum, Deoband, Nadwat al-'Ulama, Lucknow, Jami'ah Mansabiyah, in Meerut, Mazahir al-'Ulum, Shaharanpur, Madrasah Aminiyah, Delhi, Jami'ah al-'Arabiyah al-Islamiyah, Karachi, Dar al-'Ulum, Karachi, etc. This is so because the Mishkat is a concise work dealing with the basic teachings of Islam, without delving into unnecessary and irrelevant details, hence its popularity.

Interestingly, the Mishkat was also introduced in the higher Islamic educational institutions in South Africa. For example, Dar al-'Ulum, Newcastle, Natal was established in 1973 and the Mishkat was introduced in its curriculum for the first time in 1981 and since then onwards it has been and continues to be taught as a Hadith textbook and also as an introductory source book of al-Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence).

Some Juridical Inferences
The importance of the Mishkat lies in the fact that its compiler has included in it selections of Ahadith from the larger collections of Hadith. Interestingly, these Ahadith were those that formed the basis of juridical inferences. This feature undoubtedly enhanced the value of the Mishkat. Hence, both scholars and laymen alike found it to be a useful work. In what follows a few examples are given of some of the Ahadith which have been included in the Mishkat and have juridical significance:

The Performance of Wudu (Ablution)
In the chapter entitled Kitab al-Taharah (The Book of Purification) the following Hadith appears in connection with the performance of wudu (ablution):
"The key to Paradise is Salah and the key to Salah is wuda (ablution)"

Muslim jurists inferred from this Hadith that it is compulsory to perform wudu (ablution) before engaging in Salah (the five times' daily prayer) and this complements the Qur'anic injunction (5:6) which makes it obligatory upon Muslims to perform the wudu before praying.

Invoking the Name of Allah Before Performing Wudu
In the chapter entitled Sunnah al-Wudu, the following Hadith is recorded:
"Wudu is incomplete without Bismillah (invoking the Name of Allah)".

Since Al-Tabrizi included this Hadith in the chapter entitled Sunnah al-Wudu then it would be in conformity with the practice of the Prophet (s.a.w.s) to utter Bismillah before performing the wudu.

Recitation of Surat al-Fatihah During the Salah
In the chapter dealing with the recitation of the Qur'an in the Salah the following Hadith is recorded:
"Salah is not valid except with the recitation of Surat al-Fatihah, (the Opening chapter)."

The inference made from this Hadith is that it is compulsory to recite Surat al-Fatihah in every raka'ah of Salah. There is agreement amongst the jurists on this. However, the inference of the jurists based on the text of this Hadith differ. The differences of opinion pertain to the nature of its recitation.

The Validity of A Sale
In the chapter dealing with business transactions, the following Hadith is recorded:
"Bargain not in that which is not in your possession".

Muslim jurists are in agreement that, on the basis of this Hadith, one may not sell that which is not in one's possession.

Some Literary Works Based on the Ahadith of the Mishkat
Interestingly, there are a number of literary works that have been based on the Ahadith of the Mishkat. According to Mawlana Muhammad Qutb al-Din Khan Dihlawi,.the renown Shah Wali Allah of Dehli based his famous Hujjat Allah al-Balighah on the Mishkat. Mawlana Manzur Nu'mani concedes that the Ahadith which he translated in his book The Meaning and Message of the Traditions were taken from the Mishkat. Zad al-Talibin is being taught in all Indo-Pak and South African Dar al-'Ulums as an Arabic vocabulary book. It was written by 'Ashiq Ilaahi al-Barni, a former teacher at Dar al-'Ulum Deoband, India. In its introduction, the author states that the Ahadith which have been included in his book are from the Mishkat. Likewise, extensive references to the Ahadith of the Mishkat have been made in Tuhfat al-Khawatin of Mawlana 'Ashiq Ilaahi Balandshahri, former head Mufti, Dar al-Ifta, Dar al-'Ulum, Korangi, Karachi, also in Khawatin Ke liye Shar'I Ahkam of the late Dr. Muhammad 'Abd al-Hayy, a homeopathic doctor, Karachi, Pakistan, and in al-Jihad of Mawlana Habib Allah Mukhtar, present Rector, Madrasat al-'Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah, Newtown, Karachi.

Chapter 5 ... cont'd

Mishkat al-Masabih

cont'd ... Chapter 7