Ibn Malak’s Method of Hadith Analysis in His Mabāriq al-Azhār Sharḥ Mashāriq al-Anwār and its Place within the Literature of Hadith Commentaries

The purpose of this article is to analyze the method and structural properties of a hadith commentary (sharḥ) entitled mabāriq al-azhār by ibn malak (d. after 821/1418), a scholar who lived in the era of the aydınoğulları (707-829/1308-1426), one of the anatolian turkish principalities, and to discuss its place in the literature of hadith commentaries. this work is a commentary on al-ṣaghānī‘s (d.650/1252) mashāriq al-anwār, a well-known compilation of hadith. both works were used at ottoman madrasas and particularly the dār al-ḥadīths for centuries. mabāriq al-azhār can be described as a concise, pedagogical and functional textbook of hadith. nevertheless, it should not be considered as a classical and original hadith commentary. rather, it seems to be a secondary work, not only in terms of its content and structure, but also with regard to its target readership.