Khasa'il: Commentary of Shama'il

About the authors

Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi: One of the great hadith masters of the third Islamic century, Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi (209-279 AH / 824-892 CE) was born in the region of Tirmidh, on the banks of the Oxus in what is now southern Uzbekistan. Like the leading traditionists of his generation, he traveled across Khurasan, Iraq, and the Hijaz in pursuit of hadith, studying under al-Bukhari, whom he held in particular esteem, as well as other masters of the age. Later in life he lost his sight, and he died in Tirmidh. His landmark work is al-Jamiʿ, widely known as Sunan al-Tirmidhi, counted among the six canonical collections of Sunni hadith. It is distinguished by his practice of grading the reports he cites, often with his signature phrase hasan sahih, and of recording the differing legal opinions of the Companions and early jurists, which makes the book a resource for fiqh as well as hadith. He is equally beloved for al-Shamaʾil al-Muhammadiyya, a gathering of narrations describing the Prophet's physical appearance, character, dress, worship, and daily conduct, a work that has been read and commented upon for centuries. He also composed al-ʿIlal on the hidden defects of narrations. Scholars such as Ibn Taymiyya regarded him as an independent jurist, and his legacy endures across the Muslim world.

Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi: Shaykh al-Hadith Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi rahimahullah (1897-1982) was born in Khandhla, Uttar Pradesh, India, into a deeply religious family. He was privately tutored by his father, Shaykh Yahya, in the Islamic sciences and completed the six canonical books of hadith under his instruction. He remained in the company of his shaykh, the hadith master Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, for seventeen years until the latter's passing in 1927. Together they worked on an eighteen-volume commentary of Abu Dawud; Shaykh Zakariyya later independently composed a twenty-three-volume commentary of Muwatta Imam Malik over a span of thirty years. He began teaching the Islamic sciences at age twenty and taught hadith for 46 years (1923-1969). His other celebrated works include Fada'il al-Amal, Khasa'il-e-Nabawi (a commentary on Shama'il al-Tirmidhi), and al-Abwab wa al-Tarajum (an explanation of the chapters of Sahih al-Bukhari). He was granted spiritual successorship (khilafa) in the Chishti-Sabriyya order.

About the translator

Abdus Subhan Dalvi: Abdus Subhan ibn Amanulla Dalvi pursued his Aalimiyah and secular education in London before undertaking further studies in Egypt, where he focused on Arabic language, memorization of the Qur'an, and Qira'ah (the science of Qur'anic recitation and intonation). Returning to the United Kingdom, he completed advanced studies in the science of Ifta (Islamic jurisprudence and legal rulings) at Darul Uloom Bury. He also holds an LLB in Law and an MRes in Islamic Studies, the latter including a published thesis on the development of Islamic legal rulings. He is active as an Imam and Khatib in North London and contributes to traditional Islamic education by teaching the Aalimiyah course at various institutions. His works include the book Why I Pray and translations of Khasa'il: Commentary of Shama'il and The Forty Sacred Transmissions of Abu Hurayrah radiyallahu anhu.