Pamukkale Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi

Abstract

Books on the life of the Prophet Muhammad, known as siyar, hold a significant place within Islamic sciences. The discipline of sīra, which began to take a systematic form from the first century of the Hijrī calendar, has continued to develop with its own distinct methodology in the field of historiography up to the present day. One such prominent work is al-Mawāhib al-Ladunniyya, authored by the renowned Egyptian scholar of ḥadīth and Qur’anic recitation, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. al-Qasṭallānī. This work has secured a distinguished place in the intellectual and cultural heritage of the Islamic world due to its unique features. Like in other parts of the Muslim world, it was also followed with great interest in the Ottoman Empire and was translated into Turkish by the famous poet and literary figure Bâkî.The ḥāshiya (marginal commentary) by the Egyptian scholar Nūr al-Dīn ʿAlī b. ʿAlī al-Shibrāmallisī and the sharḥ (detailed commentary) by Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Bāqī b. Yūsuf al-Zurqānī have played an influential role in the dissemination and comprehension of the work. One of the aims of this study is to identify manuscript copies of Qasṭallānī’s work, along with its commentaries, marginal notes, and translations, preserved in the Suleymaniye Manuscript Library, which houses a vast collection of classical Islamic works. In this context, tables have been prepared to assist future researchers interested in studying al-Mawāhib. The identified manuscripts have been evaluated in terms of both quantity and quality. This article primarily aims to draw attention to Qasṭallānī and the significance of his work in the intellectual history of Islam, the reasons behind the widespread transmission of al-Mawāhib, and the motives for the production of its commentaries, marginalia, and translations, as well as to emphasize the importance of its content.