His Works

Imam al-Baghawi left behind numerous beneficial works in exegesis, hadith, and jurisprudence, which exerted a beneficial and profound influence upon those who came after him. His writings are distinguished by their valuable subjects, accessible language, and beneficial method: in them, he carefully sought the truth and followed sound evidence. In his engagement with the Book of Allah, he avoided needless prolixity and the views of speculative theologians, while adhering to what was transmitted from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in understanding the Quranic text, as well as to the methodology of the noble Companions in this regard. He also transmitted hadith and devoted attention to their study and explanation, distinguishing their authentic reports from their unsound ones. He authored many books, among them:

1. Tahdhib (The Refined Compendium): on the jurisprudence of Imam al-Shafiʿi. It is a well-known work widely circulated among the Shafiʿis. It is also a carefully refined composition that generally omits the evidences. He abridged it from the legal commentary of his teacher, Qadi Husayn, revising it through additions and omissions. Imam al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, frequently cites it in his Rawdat al-Talibin (The Garden of the Seekers). Tahdhib consists of four large volumes. Its fourth volume is held at the al-Zahiriyyah Library in Damascus under the catalogue number (292), Shafiʿi jurisprudence; its manuscript copy dates to 599 AH. This was noted by the critical editor of The Lives of the Noble Figures, 19/440.

2. Maʿalim al-Tanzil (Landmarks of Revelation), known as al-Baghawi’s Exegesis. Discussion of it has preceded in the section on al-Baghawi’s method of exegesis. We need only note here that this exegesis has appeared in several editions. The first was a lithographic edition published in 1285 AH, on whose margins a number of annotations and biographical notices were included; it comprised four parts gathered into a single volume.

The second was printed in the margins of Ibn Kathir’s Exegesis in nine volumes, at al-Manar Press in Egypt in 1343 AH.

The third was printed in the margins of al-Khazin’s Exegesis in four volumes.

The fourth, issued recently, appeared in four volumes as a critical edition prepared by Khalid Abd al-Rahman al-ʿAkk and Marwan Siwar. All these editions contain a great many errors and textual corruptions, which became evident through collation with the manuscript texts. This prompted us to undertake work on this great exegesis.

3. Sharh al-Sunnah (Explanation of the Sunnah). Its author states in the first volume, pp. 2–4: “This is a book explaining the Sunnah. Allah willing, it contains much of the sciences of hadith and the benefits found in the reports transmitted from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: resolving their difficult passages, explaining their unfamiliar expressions, and clarifying their rulings, together with the matters of jurisprudence and scholarly disagreement that arise from them—matters whose knowledge is indispensable for the one to whom people turn for legal rulings and upon whom they rely in the religion of Islam.

“I have included in this book only those hadith relied upon by the imams of the Salaf, who were the masters of this discipline and whose authority was acknowledged by the people of their age, and which they recorded in their books. As for inverted, fabricated, and unknown reports which they disregarded and concerning which they were agreed