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Ibn Abi Ahmed
10-27-2008, 09:50 PM
:sl:

A recent revival in what is known as the Maqra’ah in the Arab world and now in the West slowly, bodes well for all those students of Hadīth and lovers of the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam).

A “Maqra’ah” refers to a reading of a text, usually a Hadīth source, in an intense fashion over a number of sittings on usually continuous days or as best possible by the participants. The recital is usually supervised by a scholar who has an ijāzah in that text and is aware of the subtle intricacies of the text and sanad and is able to ensure an authentic transmission during the reading.

The reading is of course incredibly fast, only carried out by the most proficient students or scholars, utilising various styles of qirā‘ah, all faster than then well known Qur’ānic hadr speed - it needs to be of course if the expected speed of at least 1000 hadīth per day is to be achieved (with isnād).

This might confuse some people, what with the lack of time to fully reflect upon the wisdoms and secrets of the text, or the lack of time for an explanation of difficult and strange phrases/words. In reality, attendees have to appreciate that a Maqra’ah is not a lesson, or a commentary, or a study or anything else that will cover such queries as above, rather it is used by those attendees to perfect their recitation, to become familiar with the narrators, and most importantly to make “dhabt” or affirm for themselves the exact contents of a particular text or source.

The benefits of such a practice have been well known to the scholars of our nation for many generations yet due to the difficulties of our time and the modern day context, we have seen a drop in this art and beneficial sitting, alongside the other problems experienced such as the free-time of the supervising scholar, the lack of scholars with the correct credentials to lead, the lengths of the texts, the unsuitability of the students etc.

Clearly to revive such a noble practice, we need to remind ourselves what is required from those Tullāb’l-‘Ilm who wish to partake as well as take a glimpse back to our Nubalā’ who practised this from the major Imams of Islam.

For the student, an eloquent and free tongue for reciting is a must, alongside high energy and fitness levels to ensure drowsiness is held at bay. Naturally, before this for all participants, there needs to be a real keenness and desire to learn, immense patience, and of course the most important: a pure intention to progress for the sake of Allah ‘azza wa jall and His Deen alone.

For the supervising scholar, an acquaintance with the text if not an ijāzah is highly recommended, although this is becoming less of a problem with the excellent muhaqqaq and mustakhraj versions of these various texts in our hands due to the diligence and blessing of our Hadīth scholars.

Here now are some example of those scholars before us who would partake in a regular Maqra’ah of the sacred texts and some of the details of how they did it.

1. al-Khatīb al-Baghdādi (d. 463h)

He read the entire Sahīh of Imām al-Bukhāri upon Ismā‘īl b. Ahmed b. ‘Abdillāh al-Dharīr al-Hīrī, according to the riwāyah of one of its most famous narrators, al-Kushmīhanī. He recited it completely in three sessions, two of them starting at Maghrib and finishing at Fajr time, and the last session starting late morning and finishing at Fajr! (Tārīkh’l-Baghdād)

This equates to over 7500 hadīth (!) thus it is no surprise then that al-Khatīb was called the “Hāfidh of the East”, and seen as the master of those Hadīth texts he taught, rahimullāh.

This story about al-Khatīb is well known, about which Imām al-Dhahabi said in al-Siyar, “By Allah, this is a recital of which faster has never ever been heard of.”

He also said in Tārīkh’l-Islām, “This is something that I do not know anyone in our time can do.”

In a wonderful exchange on the same story, al-Sakhāwi asked his illustrious Shaykh, Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalāni, “Have you ever spent your entire day in such recital (that of al-Khatīb)?” Ibn Hajr replied, “No, rather my recital of the Sahīh was in ten sessions although if they had been continuous, it would have been less than his number of days. But what is the dust compared to the Stars! Most certainly Al-Khatīb’s rahimhullāh recitation was perfect in its accuracy and excellence, as well as benefit and clarity to the listeners!” (al-Jawāhir wa’l-Durar fī Tarjumat’l-Shaykh’l-Islām Ibn Hajr)

- ‘Abdullāh b. Sa‘īd b. Lubbāj al-Umawi (d.436h)

It is narrated in al-Sila that in the year 433h he read the Sahīh of Imām Muslim in the main Masjid of Cordoba over the period of a week, with two sittings a day in the morning and evening.

- Al-Mu’taman al-Sāji (d. 507h)

Imām al-Dhahabi relates in al-Siyar on the authority of Al-Silafi that Al-Mu’taman read the book Al-Muhaddith al-Fāsil of al-Rāmahrmazi in a single session. This is a book which contains over 800 marfū‘, mawqūf and athar narrations from the early generations!

- Talhah b. Mudhaffar al-‘Althi al-Hanbali (d. 593h)

It is narrated in both al-Dhayl ‘Alā Tabaqāt’l-Hanābilah and Tabaqāt’l-Mufassirīn that he recited the Sahīh of Imām Muslim in three sessions!
He was an ‘Ālim of many sciences and an ascetic, described by al-Hāfidh al-Mundhiri as having excellent and accurate recitation. When he recited the Jamharah of Ibn Durayd upon ibn al-Qassār, due to his immense speed yet accuracy, ibn al-Qassār asked those attending, “Has he memorised this book?!”

- Al-‘Izz b. ‘Abd’l-Salām (d. 660h)

Known as the Sultān of the ‘Ulemā’, he (rahimhullāh) recited the lengthy Nihāyat’l-Matlab of Imām al-Haramayn al-Juwayni in three days. Ibn Fahd narrated in Lahdh’l-Alhādh, “Our Shaykh al-Hāfidh Burhān’l-Dīn (al-Halabi) said, “I was told that Shaykh ‘Izz’l-Dīn b. ‘Abd’l-Salām would leave for the Masjid on Wednesday with a copy of the Nihāyah of Imām al-Haramayn and stay there all day, through Thursday and into Friday just before the (Jumu‘ah) Prayer, reading this book.””

A few scholars disputed this claim due to the huge size of the Nihāyah to which Shaykh Sirāj’l-Dīn al-Bulqīni explained that this was not impossible simply because Imām ‘Izz’l-Dīn knew the book so well, and had no problems understanding it and thus had no need to stop and ponder over difficult issues.

This is classically what the Maqra’ah focuses on, the reading as opposed to the stopping and reflective pondering, which is to be reserved for times of study and learning the text as opposed to its recital.

- Ibn al-Abbār (d. 658h)

Imām al-Dhahabi mentioned in al-Siyar that ibn al-Abbār recited the Sahīh of Imām Muslim upon the Muhaddith al-Mu‘ammar al-Hajri al-Andalūsi (d. 591h) in six days.

- Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728h)

His reading and periods of isolation are well known; his student Ibn ‘Abd’l-Hādi mentions in Mukhtasar Tabaqāt ‘Ulema’l-Hadīth that Ibn Taymiyyah recited the Ghaylāniyāt in a single session.

This classical book is a large collection of Hadīth authored by Imām Abu Bakr Muhammad b. ‘Abdillāh b. Ibrāhim b. ‘Abdaway al-Baghdādi al-Shāfi‘ī al-Bazzāz (d. 360h), but then narrated and collected by his student Abu Tālib Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Ibrāhīm b. al-Ghaylān. It is called the Ghaylāniyāt because he was the last to narrate this book from his Shaykh with the highest and purest isnād. This book was given much importance by the earlier scholars, both in working upon it such as al-Dāraqutni’s early takhrīj, and then the studying of it by major Imams such as Ibn Hajr and Ibn Kathīr.

The Ghaylāniyāt consists of almost 1100 hadīth with isnād. Thus, let’s revisit again that Ibn Taymiyyah would recite the Ghaylāniyāt in a single sitting!

- al-Hāfidh al-Mizzi (d. 742h)

Al-Hafidh Abu’l-Hajjāj al-Mizzi recited the Mu‘jam’l-Kabīr of al-Tabarāni upon al-Birzāli in sixty sessions.

- Al-Hāfidh al-Dhahabi (d. 748h)

Imām al-Dhahabi (rahimullāh) has narrated to us much of the way of the ‘Ulemā’ and their love of the Maqra’ah to revise texts and partake in the blessings of Hadīth as well as getting closer to the sources and evidences of sacred knowledge. But other types of books were also recited as he himself explains, that he recited the Sīrah of Ibn Hishām upon al-Abarqūhī in only six days, despite its size.

- Sirāj’l-Dīn Ibn al-Mulaqqin (d. 804h)

This great Muhaddith read two volumes of Imām al-Tabari’s Al-Ahkām in a single day as narrated in al-Lahdh’l-Alhādh.

- Hāfidh Zayn’l-Dīn al-‘Irāqi (d. 806h)

The great Muhaddith recited the Sahīh of Imām Muslim is six sessions, as narrated by al-Fāsi in Dhayl’l-Taqyīd and in Lahdh’l-Alhādh, which adds that in the final session, al-Hāfidh al-‘Irāqi read the whole final third of the Sahīh also in the presence of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali with his own copy. This was all read upon the great Ibn al-Khabbāz, the Muhaddith of his time, who had his own isnād direct to Imām Muslim by samā‘ah.

It is also narrated in Dhayl’l-Taqyīd that al-Hāfidh al-‘Irāqi recited the monumental Musnad of Imām Ahmed upon Ibn al-Khabbāz in thirty separate sessions!

- al-Hāfidh Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalāni (d. 852h)

The Imām of the Muhaddithīn, the one without comparison in this most noble of sciences. Taqi’l-Dīn al-Fāsi and al-Sakhāwi both described Ibn Hajr’s recitation as very fast, yet beautiful, and compared it to that of al-Khatīb al-Baghdādi.

We have mentioned above his reading of al-Jāmi‘ al-Sahīh of Imām al-Bukhāri in ten sessions, which al-Sakhāwi later added were of four hours each in length and thus only 40 hours in total!

Ibn Hajr himself mentions in his biography of his Shaykh, ‘Abdullāh b. ‘Amr b. ‘Alī al-Hindi Abi’l-Ma‘āli (d. 807h) in his book al-Majma‘ al-Mu’assis lil-Mu‘jam’l-Mufahris that he himself recited the entire Musnad of Imām Ahmed upon Abi’l-Ma‘āli in fifty three sessions.

Ibn Hajr again mentions in his al-Majma‘ al-Mu’assis that he recited the Sahīh of Imām Muslim upon his Shaykh Ibn al-Kuwayk (d. 821h) in five sessions. Al-Sakhāwi elaborated further that this amounted to approximately two and a bit days.

Al-Sakhāwi said in al-Jawāhir that Ibn Hajr recited al-Sunan’l-Kubrā of Imām al-Nasā’i in ten sessions, each session lasting approximately four hours, finishing from it in crowd consisting of the noble and the Imams on the Day of ‘Āshūrā’ of 814h. Please note that there are almost 12000 hadīth in this book!

Al-Sakhāwi also said in al-Jawāhir that Ibn Hajr recited al-Sunan of Imām ibn Mājah in four sessions.

Ibn Hajr mentioned in his al-Majma‘ al-Mu’assis during the biography of ‘Umar b. Muhammad b. Ahmed al-Bālisi (al-Sālihi) that he himself recited al-Mu‘jam’l-Saghīr of Imām al-Tabarāni upon the Shaykh in a single session between Dhuhr and ‘Asr – Ibn Hajr’s students considered this was the fastest the Shaykh had ever recited, especially as there are approximately 1500 hadīth therein!

Although there are many more scholars that can be mentioned, from the early generations and the later generations up to our present time now, it is fitting that we end with the Sayyid of them all – Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalāni (rahimhullāh).

It is heartening to see what a continual recital of all sacred texts, with the Qur’ān at the head of them of course, can do to the mind, the heart, and the tongue. Although this isn’t what most younger students will be needing in their development, it is certainly a tool by which those lovers of knowledge can tune their skills in the appreciation and eventual learning and memorisation of that which is most beloved and beneficial to the Muslim in this life and the Hereafter.

One hopes that this Nation, the East of it and the West of it, continues to revive those practices that will help solidify our heritage, preserve our unique identity and help us achieve the ultimate objective of gaining Allah’s pleasure through that which He has sent down through his beloved Messenger Muhammad (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam).

For further study, please see Majālis’l-Hijāziyyah Li Qirā‘at Kutub’l-Sunnat’l-Nabawiyyah of ‘Abd’l-Rahman al-Faqīh and Qawā‘id’l-Tahdīth of Jamāl’l-Dīn al-Qāsimi.

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Muhammad
01-05-2009, 01:50 PM
Wa Alaykum Assalaam,

Jazakallaahu khayran for this interesting read. I came across a related article here:

The Maqra'ah Experience
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