📚 **FAMOUS COMMENTARIES OF THE MAJOR ḤADĪTH BOOKS**
**A Simple Student’s Guide to Sharḥ, Kutub al-Sittah, Mishkāt & Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn**
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🌿 ** AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS ** 🌿
*“The Ḥadīth gives the text; the Sharḥ helps the student understand it.”*
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✦ INTRODUCTION — WHAT IS A SHARḤ ?
When students begin studying the major books of Ḥadīth, they will often see another Arabic word:
شَرْح - Sharḥ
It means:
Explanation • Commentary • Clarification
A **Sharḥ** is a work written to explain a Ḥadīth collection.
The commentator may explain:
📖 difficult words
🔗 chains of transmission
👤 narrators
⚖️ Fiqh rulings
📚 different
scholarly opinions
📝 differences in wording
🔍 apparent contradictions
🌿 lessons and benefits
Therefore, when a student sees:
فَتْحُ الْبَارِي شَرْحُ صَحِيحِ الْبُخَارِي
the words **Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī** mean:
**“A commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī.”**
This gives us an important study principle:
MATN → SHARḤ → UNDERSTANDING
Text → Explanation → Understanding
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① ṢAḤĪḤ AL-BUKHĀRĪ صَحِيحُ الْبُخَارِي
Imām Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī رحمه الله
One of the most famous commentaries is:
📚 فَتْحُ الْبَارِي — Fatḥ al-Bārī
🔹 Author: Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī رحمه الله
It is one of the most famous and extensive commentaries on Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī.
Another famous commentary is:
📚 عُمْدَةُ الْقَارِي — ʿUmdat al-Qārī
🔹 Author: Badr al-Dīn al-ʿAynī رحمه الله
🌿 **Student lesson**
When studying Bukhārī, remember:
**Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī** = the original Ḥadīth collection.
**Fatḥ al-Bārī** = detailed explanation of that collection.
**ʿUmdat al-Qārī** = another major explanation.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Do not rush past the commentary; understanding takes study.”*
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②ṢAḤĪḤ MUSLIM صَحِيحُ مُسْلِم
**Imām Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj رحمه الله**
One of the best-known commentaries is:
📚 الْمِنْهَاجُ شَرْحُ صَحِيحِ مُسْلِم
🔹 Al-Minhāj Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim
🟢 Author: Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله
It explains the wording of the Ḥadīth, discusses important issues, presents scholarly opinions, and helps students understand the meaning and legal implications of the narrations.
Another important earlier commentary is:
📚 إِكْمَالُ الْمُعْلِمِ — Ikmāl al-Muʿlim
🔹 Author: Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ رحمه الله
🌿 **Student lesson**
When you see:
**شرح صحيح مسلم**
you are looking at the **explanation of Imām Muslim's collection**, not another independent collection of Ḥadīth.
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③ SUNAN ABĪ DĀWŪD سُنَنُ أَبِي دَاوُد
**Imām Abū Dāwūd Sulaymān ibn al-Ashʿath رحمه الله*
Among the famous commentaries are:
📚 عَوْنُ الْمَعْبُود — ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd
🔹 Author: Muḥammad Shams al-Ḥaqq al-ʿAẓīmābādī رحمه الله
Another major work is:
📚 بَذْلُ الْمَجْهُود — Badhl al-Majhūd
🔹 Author: Khalīl Aḥmad al-Sahāranpūrī رحمه الله
An earlier important commentary is:
📚 مَعَالِمُ السُّنَن — Maʿālim al-Sunan
🔹 Author: Imām al-Khaṭṭābī رحمه الله
🌿 **Student lesson**
Abū Dāwūd is especially important for students studying:
Ḥadīth + Aḥkām + Fiqh
because many of its chapters concern practical rulings.
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④ JĀMIʿ AL-TIRMIDHĪ -جَامِعُ التِّرْمِذِي
* Imām Abū ʿĪsā al-Tirmidhī رحمه الله *
One of the famous commentaries is:
📚 تُحْفَةُ الْأَحْوَذِي — Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī
🔹 Author: Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Mubārakfūrī رحمه الله
Another important commentary is:
🟣 عَارِضَةُ الْأَحْوَذِي — ʿĀriḍat al-Aḥwadhī
🔷 Author: Abū Bakr Ibn al-ʿArabī رحمه الله
✦ Why is Tirmidhī especially interesting?
Because Imām al-Tirmidhī frequently gives comments after his narrations concerning:
🔵 ❖ ḤASAN ❖🟢 ❖ ṢAḤĪḤ ❖🟣 ❖ GHARĪB
❖🔷 ❖ CHAINS ❖🟠 ❖ NARRATORS ❖🌿
❖ FIQH ❖
and the positions of scholars.
Therefore, his work is particularly useful for students learning how **Ḥadīth and Fiqh interact**.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Learn the Ḥadīth, then learn how the scholars understood it.”*
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⑤ SUNAN AL-NASĀʾĪ- سُنَنُ النَّسَائِي
* Imām Aḥmad ibn Shuʿayb al-Nasāʾī رحمه الله *
A well-known commentary is:
🟢 شَرْحُ سُنَنِ النَّسَائِي — Sharḥ Sunan al-Nasāʾī
🟣 Author: Imām al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله
Another work students may encounter is:
🔵 حَاشِيَةُ السِّنْدِي — Ḥāshiyat al-Sindī
🟠 Author: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī al-Sindī رحمه الله
🌿 **Student lesson**
The word:
🟣 حَاشِيَة — ḤĀSHIYAH
🔹 Meaning: Marginal notes, annotations or commentary.
🟢 Ḥāshiyat al-Sindī — Explanatory notes on the text by al-Sindī رحمه الله.
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⑥ *SUNAN IBN MĀJAH - سُنَنُ ابْنِ مَاجَه**
*Imām Ibn Mājah رحمه الله*
Students will find several scholarly explanations and annotations connected with the work.
Among the works associated with its explanation is:
🟢 مَا تَمَسُّ إِلَيْهِ الْحَاجَةُ — Mā Tamassu Ilayhi al-Ḥājah
🔹 Author: Al-Sindī رحمه الله
Students should remember that the commentarial tradition around Ibn Mājah is broader than a single famous Sharḥ.
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✦ THE SIX BOOKS — SIMPLE MAP
Here is an easy way to remember them:
📚 ❶ ṢAḤĪḤ AL-BUKHĀRĪ
🔹 شرح : Fatḥ al-Bārī
🟢 Author: Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
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📚 ❷ ṢAḤĪḤ MUSLIM
🔹 شرح : Al-Minhāj
🟢 Author: Al-Nawawī
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📚 ❸ SUNAN ABĪ DĀWŪD
🔹 شرح : ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd
🟢 Author: Al-ʿAẓīmābādī
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📚 ❹ JĀMIʿ AL-TIRMIDHĪ
🔹 شرح : Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī
🟢 Author: Al-Mubārakfūrī
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📚 ❺ SUNAN AL-NASĀʾĪ
🔹 شرح : Sharḥ al-Suyūṭī / Ḥāshiyat al-Sindī
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📚 ❻ SUNAN IBN MĀJAH
🔹 شرح : Several commentarial works,
including annotations by al-Sindī
These are **examples of famous commentaries**, not an exhaustive list. The commentarial tradition on each collection is much larger.
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⑦ *WHAT ABOUT MISHKĀT AL-MAṢĀBĪḤ?*
*مِشْكَاةُ الْمَصَابِيح*
** Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ ** was compiled by *Al-Khaṭīb al-Tibrīzī رحمه الله* as an expanded and revised form of al-Baghawī's * Maṣābīḥ al-Sunnah *.
One of its most famous commentaries is:
🌿 مِرْقَاةُ الْمَفَاتِيحِ
📚 Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ
🟢 Author: Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī رحمه الله
This is a major, detailed commentary on Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ.
Another commentary students may encounter is:
📚 مِرْقَاةُ الْمَفَاتِيحِ — Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ
🔹 Author: Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī رحمه الله.
🌿 مِرْعَاةُ الْمَفَاتِيحِ — Mirʿāt al-Mafātīḥ
🔹 Author: Abū al-Ḥasan ʿUbayd Allāh al-Mubārakfūrī رحمه الله
Both are commentaries on مِشْكَاةُ الْمَصَابِيحِ — Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, but they are separate works by different scholars
🌿 ❖ SIMPLE WAY TO REMEMBER ❖
📚 Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ → The Ḥadīth collection.
🔵 Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ → A detailed commentary by Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī رحمه الله.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“A good commentary opens doors that the text alone may leave closed.”*
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⑧ **WHAT ABOUT RIYĀḌ AL-ṢĀLIḤĪN?**
🌿 رِيَاضُ الصَّالِحِينَ
📚 Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn
🟢 Compiled by: Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله
Do you like this personality?
This is a thematic collection containing Ḥadīth and Qurʾānic verses arranged around subjects such as:
🌿 sincerity📖 knowledge🕌 Ṣalāh🤲 Duʿāʾ🌙
fasting👨👩👧 family❤️ character⚖️ justice
and many other areas of Islamic life.
One famous commentary is:
🌿 دَلِيلُ الْفَالِحِينَ
📚 Dalīl al-Fāliḥīn
🟢 Author: Ibn ʿAllān رحمه الله
It is a well-known detailed commentary on Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn.
🌿 **Student lesson**
Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn is excellent for thematic study.
Its commentary helps the student understand:
the words → the context → the lessons →
the Fiqh → the practical application.
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⑨ 🌿 ❖ WHAT DOES A COMMENTATOR ACTUALLY DO? ❖
Imagine that the Ḥadīth says:
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ
“Actions are only by intentions.”
A student may understand the basic translation.
But the commentator may ask:
🔹 What does Niyyah mean?
🔵 Where is the place of intention?
🟣 What does the rest of the Ḥadīth mean?
🟢 What are its Fiqh implications?
🟠 What did the Ṣaḥābah understand?
💠 What did earlier scholars say?
🌿 Are there other narrations that explain it?
🔷 What linguistic points are important?
❖ That is the role of Sharḥ — explaining and clarifying the meanings of the Ḥadīth.
🔵 ⑩ ❖ SHARḤ, ḤĀSHIYAH & TAʿLĪQ ❖
📘 شَرْح — Sharḥ: Explanation or commentary.
🟢 حَاشِيَة — Ḥāshiyah: Annotations or notes on a text or commentary.
🟣 تَعْلِيق — Taʿlīq: Notes, remarks or annotations.
🔷 مُخْتَصَر — Mukhtaṣar: An abridgement or concise version.
🌿 شَرْحٌ مُخْتَصَر — Sharḥ Mukhtaṣar: A concise explanation or commentary.
A concise commentary.
Understanding these words makes navigating Islamic books much easier.
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🔵 ⑪ ❖ HOW SHOULD A BEGINNER USE A COMMENTARY? ❖
🟢 ① READ THE ḤADĪTH — Understand the translation.
🔵 ② IDENTIFY THE WORDS — Look up unfamiliar terms.
🟣 ③ READ A SIMPLE SHARḤ — Learn the basic meaning.
🟠 ④ STUDY THE FIQH — Understand the rulings and principles.
🔷 ⑤ COMPARE EXPLANATIONS — Consult other commentaries when needed.
🌿 ⑥ REREAD THE ḤADĪTH — Review it with your new understanding.
🔵 ⑫ ❖ THE BIG PICTURE ❖
📖 ḤADĪTH COLLECTION — The original narrations.
🔵 SHARḤ — Explanation and clarification.
⚖️ FIQH — Rulings and legal understanding.
🟣 ḤADĪTH SCIENCE — Chains, narrators, grading and defects.
🌿 UNDERSTANDING — Placing the narration in its proper context.
🟢 ❖ FINAL STUDENT SUMMARY ❖
📚 ṢAḤĪḤ AL-BUKHĀRĪ🔹 Fatḥ al-Bārī — Ibn Ḥajar
📚 ṢAḤĪḤ MUSLIM🔹 Al-Minhāj — Al-Nawawī
📚 SUNAN ABĪ DĀWŪD🔹 ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd — Al-ʿAẓīmābādī
📚 JĀMIʿ AL-TIRMIDHĪ🔹 Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī — Al-Mubārakfūrī
📚 SUNAN AL-NASĀʾĪ🔹 Sharḥ al-Suyūṭī / Ḥāshiyat al-Sindī
📚 SUNAN IBN MĀJAH🔹 Various commentaries and annotations
🌿 MISHKĀT AL-MAṢĀBĪḤ🔹 Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ — Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī
🌿 RIYĀḌ AL-ṢĀLIḤĪN🔹 Dalīl al-Fāliḥīn — Ibn ʿAllān
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Read the Ḥadīth, study its Sharḥ, understand its lessons, and pass on the benefit.”*
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🤲 **SADAQAH JĀRIYAH**
If you find benefit in this guide, share it with another student of knowledge.
**May Allah ﷻ grant us beneficial knowledge, sound understanding, sincerity, and the ability to learn the Sunnah correctly and pass its benefit on to others. Āmīn.**
