Muhammad Az-Zurqani’s Interpretation Of Imam Malik Bn Anas- A Genesis Of Sharh Ala Muwatta For Contemporary Studies

There are three kinds of Sunna.  It may be Qawl- saying of the Prophet (SAW) which has a bearing on a religious question; Fi’l – an action or practice of his or Taqri – his tacit approval of the action or practice of another.  These categories have characterized all works of Hadith in all ages.  Hadith literature has proved a worthwhile competitive ground for Islamic scholars and orientalists alike.  This is why, just like in Tafsir, some pious people had to write voluminous commentaries not only on the six authentic books of hadith but also on those of the four teachers of jurisprudence.

The four orthodox schools which survived in Islam to this day are denoted by the names of their founders viz; Maliki, Hanafi, Shafi and Hanbali.  All these schools have their collections of hadith.  In the Maliki School, there is the Muwatta, which is not a mere work of hadith but a compendium of Islamic jurisprudence.  Perhaps, this prompted the Islamic jurists of the twelfth century Hijrah to write several commentaries on al-Muwatta, a work founded upon the traditions received from the prophet and containing all the fundamental principles of the Maliki School.  One of such renowned commentaries was that of Muhammad b. Abdul Baki b. Yusuf az-Zurqani, who came across the Muwatta in 1109 A.H. during his sojourn at al-Azhar   University in Cairo.

Prior to this time, the Muwatta has created challenges for Islamic jurists and scholars as a result of which several commentaries and even glosses have been written on the book.  Such commentaries that preceded az-Zurqani’s four – volume commentary included; the Tanwir Hawali of Imam Jalal ad Din as Suyyuti (1844-911 A.H), the works of Shaykh Aliyu al-Qari al-Makiyy (d. 1014 A.H)¹ and the two commentaries of Ibn Abdul Barr (d. 463 A.H) which are titled at-Tamhid lima fi’l Muwatta min al Ma’aniwal Asanid and kitab al-Istidhkar fi Sharh Madhhib wamahil Amsar.  There are a host of other commentary works on the Muwatta and also the primary source of the school’s jurisprudence viz al-Mudawwanah.

Such glosses at one time or the other include the al-Maqaddimat Li’Awa li kutub al-Mudawwana by Imam Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Rushd (d. 525/1130)²; the works of Ibn Rashiq al-Qayrawani (d. 463 S.H.) and Abu Sulayman al-Khitab (d. 388 A.H.).

However, the work of az-Zurqani is held in a higher esteem than the aforementioned scholastic works.  This is evident in the approach and structure of the commentary, a principal characteristic of which is his blanket commentary on all hadith unlike his predecessors.  In apparent humility that was the hallmark of Islamic scholarship in those days, az-Zurqani asked all men of intelligence and knowledge not to view his book too censoriously on account of those matters in which it may be lacking or imperfect.

According to him, only God is infallible, hence his middle course approaches in the volume and structure of the work.  For example, the biographies of hadith narrators are included in his work so as to facilitate its historical perspective.  Likewise, terms which are employed for peculiar usage are introduced such as “al-Hafiz” which refers to Al-Hafiz b. Hajar al-Asqalani.³