(Arabic commentary notes on Ṣaḥῑḥ al-Bukhāri from the lectures of Imām Rashῑd Aḥmad Gangohi, by his student, Mawlānā Muḥammad Yaḥya Kāndhlawi. Later edited, annotated and published by the latter’s son, Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya Kāndhlawi) 

لامع الدراري على جامع البخاري

وهي إفادات الإمام رشيد أحمد الجنجوهي (ت 1323) ، جمعها وقيدها الشيخ محمد يحيى الكاندهلوي (1334) مع تعليقات لنجل الشيخ الكاندهلوي – الإمام العلامة المحدث الشيخ محمد زكريا الكاندهلوي – رحمهم الله تعالى (ت 1402\1982)

Shaykh al-Islām Mawlānā Sayyid Ḥusayn Aḥmad Madani’s desire that Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya Kāndhlawi work on Lāmi῾ al-Darāri ῾alā Jāmi῾ al-Bukhāri

In his autobiography (Āp Bῑti), Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya Kāndhlawi (may Allāh have mercy upon him) mentions how he was regularly pressured by Shaykh al-Islām Mawlānā Sayyid Ḥusayn Aḥmad Madani (may Allāh have mercy upon him) to work on Lāmi῾ al-Darāri ῾alā Jāmi῾ al-Bukhāri, which was, at the time, in handwritten note form. These notes were written by his late father, Mawlānā Muḥammad Yaḥya Kāndhlawi, when he attended the Ṣaḥῑḥ al-Bukhāri lectures of his shaykh and master, Imām Rashῑd Aḥmad Gangohi. He would capture these priceless pearls in Urdu during the Ṣaḥῑḥ al-Bukhāri lessons and later render them to Arabic. These notes would then be shared with fellow students, who would copy them into their note books.

While the work on Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya’s huge and monumental Awjaz al-Masālik ila Muwaṭṭa Mālik (an encyclopedic commentary on the Muwaṭṭa of Imām Mālik – may Allāh have mercy upon him) was in progress, he could not dedicate any time for this.[1] Shaykh al-Islām Mawlānā Sayyid Ḥusayn Aḥmad Madani went to the extent of asking that Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya postpone the work on Awjaz al-Masālik in order to work on Lāmi῾ al-Darāri. He once said to Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya, “What use will it be, when you will publish it (Lāmi῾ al-Darāri) after my death? If you published it during my lifetime, I could have benefited from it.” When the work on Awjaz al-Masālik was completed in Dhu ‘l-Ḥijja 1375, Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya commenced work on Lāmi῾ al-Darāri. When the first four [portions] of the book were published and presented to Shaykh al-Islām Mawlānā Sayyid Ḥusayn Aḥmad Madani, his face lit up with joy.  Shortly thereafter, on 12 Jumada ‘l-Ūla 1377, Shaykh al-Islām Mawlānā Sayyid Ḥusayn Aḥmad Madani passed away. Details of this is mentioned by Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya in his exhaustive introduction to Lāmi῾ al-Darāri ῾alā Jāmi῾ al-Bukhāri.

When the work on Lāmi῾ al-Darāri was completed on 10 Rabῑ῾ al-Awwal 1388, Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya arranged a thanksgiving dinner, to which he invited approximately 100-150 close acquaintances and teachers of the madrasah. However, as he states in his autobiography, word somehow got around in India and approximately a thousand people turned up for the dinner! Nevertheless, they were all very well catered for.[2]

All praise be to Allāh Most Magnificent. This amazing work has seen various publications since the lifetime of the author, both in lithographic format and modern print (typewriter) format. It is currently being prepared for a modern edited publication by more than one researcher (as separate, unconnected projects) and is expected to be printed soon. Judging by the recently-published commentary notes on the Jāmi῾ al-Tirmidhi (Al-Kawkab al-Durriyy ῾alā Jāmi῾ al-Tirmidhi) from the lectures of Imām Rashῑd Aḥmad Gangohi by his student, Mawlānā Muḥammad Yaḥya Kāndhlawi, which, like Lāmi῾ al-Darāri, were later edited, annotated and published by the latter’s son, Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya Kāndhlawi, and re-published in modern computer print from Amman (1438/2017) in 8 large volumes (with an additional ninth volume containing the Shamā̕il al-Tirmidhi), Lāmi῾ al-Darāri is likely to be published in 20-30 volumes. Just the introduction, when typed on computer, is likely to expand over two volumes. This introduction – and indeed the entire book – is packed with priceless pearls.   

When this masterpiece is eventually published, it will, without doubt, be a great addition to the genre of classical ḥadῑth commentary literature that has been long overdue, and it will be a major contribution to the study of Ṣaḥῑḥ al-Bukhāri.   

Abu Asim Badrul Islam
Northampton, ENGLAND
17 Rabῑ῾ al-Ākhir 1440/25 December 2018

Front cover of my personal copy of the large 3-volume handwritten edition, which I used during my year of Ṣaḥῑḥ al-Bukhāri study at Jāmi῾ah Dār al-῾Ulūm in Karachi (1424/2003).

Inside pages of the old handwritten edition.

A couple of notes that I had made regarding the book, during our study of Ṣaḥῑḥ al-Bukhāri at Jāmi῾ah Dār al-῾Ulūm in Karachi (1424/2003).

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[1] Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya Kāndhlawi mentions in his autobiography how work on Awjaz al-Masālik ila Muwaṭṭa̕ Mālik had taken thirty years of his life. He says that his youth was spent on this work. The delay in completion of Awjaz al-Masālik was due to his extremely busy and highly multi-faceted life, in which he accomplished what entire organisations cannot accomplish in the same time. He recalls in his autobiography how he had commenced work on Awjaz al-Masālik, which is a commentary on Imām Mālik’s ḥadῑth collection, the Muwaṭṭa̕, as he was residing in Madῑnah Munawwarah at the time and the Muwaṭṭa̕ is a relatively small book of ḥadῑth. He thought that he would be able to complete the commentary in a year or so. Indeed, this was what it initially seemed like, as he had completed the first one and a half volumes of the original manuscript, whilst in Madῑnah Munawwarah, in two to three months. Because of this intention, he had named the book Awjaz al-Masālik ila Muwaṭṭa̕ Mālik (The shortest of paths to the [comprehension] of the Muwaṭṭa̕ of Mālik). However, as he progressed, the depth and detail in the work kept increasing and it eventually became what it is today. He says that during these thirty years he had to halt the work on Awjaz al-Masālik for two years in order to work on Al-Kawkab al-Durriyy ῾alā Jāmi῾ al-Tirmidhi (see my article on this book).

It was the desire of his teacher, shaykh and mentor, Imām Khalῑl Aḥmad Sahāranpūri, that Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya Kāndhlawi write a detailed commentary on the Jāmi῾ al-Tirmidhi in a similar style as Badhl al-Majhūd ῾alā Sunan Abῑ Dāwūd, which they had both co-authored. For this reason, he intended to write a quick commentary on the Muwaṭṭa̕ of Imām Mālik. However, after thirty years in writing Awjaz al-Masālik and other smaller works in between, he no longer had the health, energy or lifespan to embark on the mammoth task of writing a detailed commentary on the Jāmi῾ al-Tirmidhi.

By the grace of Allāh Most Magnificent, Awjaz al-Masālik ila Muwaṭṭā Mālik has seen countless publications since the lifetime of the author. It has recently been re-published in 18 large and beautiful volumes by Dār al-Qalam (Damascus). Likewise, Al-Kawkab al-Durriyy ῾alā Jāmi῾ al-Tirmidhi has recently been re-published by Arūqah (Amman, 1438/2017) in 8 large volumes, with an additional ninth volume containing the Shamā̕il al-Tirmidhi.

[2] Taken from the 506-page biography of Shaykh al-Ḥadῑth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya – Sawāniḥ-e-῾Umri – by Shaykh ῾Āshiq-e-Ilāhi Bulandshehri, p.434-435, Ma῾had al-Khalῑl al-Islāmi (Karachi, 1417).