Al-Zarqani's commentary on Imam Malik's Muwatta, 4 volumes

Author's name: Ibrahim Al-Bajouri

Scholars have paid meticulous attention to Imam Malik’s book “Al-Muwatta” since its composition, and this attention has continued uninterrupted throughout time and in various regions until today. Among its commentaries that have become widespread and popular in recent centuries are: The book “Anwar Kawakib Nahj al-Salik bi-Mazj Muwatta’ al-Imam Malik,” also known as “Sharh al-Zarqani ‘ala Muwatta’ Malik ibn Anas,” is by the leading Maliki scholar of his time, the renowned hadith expert Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abd al-Baqi ibn Yusuf ibn Ahmad ibn Alwan al-Zarqani (with a shadda and damma on the zay), al-Maliki al-Azhari al-Misri (d. 1122 AH). The Imam took great care in clarifying and explaining unfamiliar terms, and he explained all the words in the book, paying close attention to grammatical analysis. He combined the text of the Muwatta’ with the commentary in the original order. In his commentary, he meticulously recounted the opinions of scholars on legal issues and the points of disagreement, along with their supporting evidence. He frequently presented the Maliki school's arguments, defending them, and then mentioned those who followed Imam Malik, whether fully or partially. When tracing hadiths, he cited the authors of the six canonical hadith collections and others, especially if the hadith being explained was found in one or both of the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim).