Tracing the Footprints of a Book in the Indo-Persianate World and Hijaz: The Circulation of Khatīb al-Tabrīzī’s al-Ikmāl and Its Contribution to the Indian Scholarly Tradition

Authors : Selim Demirci, Muhammet Ali Tuzlu

Pages : 19-34

Doi:10.52637/kiid.1612934

View : 260 | Download : 119

Publication Date : 2025-06-15

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Throughout Islamic history, certain works have stood out for both their scholarly significance and their wide geographical dissemination, leaving lasting impressions across diverse Muslim societies. In this context, Mishkāt al-Masābīh, a compilation of foundational hadith sources by al-Khatīb al-Tabrīzī (d. after 740 AH [?]), and his biographical companion work al-Ikmāl fî Asmâʾ al-Rijāl, which presents the transmitters featured in the compilation, are among the seminal texts that not only held influence during their own time but also guided hadith scholarship across various Islamic regions in subsequent centuries. One of the regions where these works had the most profound impact was the Indian subcontinent. Among the scholars who showed particular interest in al-Ikmâl within the intellectual tradition of the Indian subcontinent, ʿAbd al-Haqq Dihlavī (d. 1052/1642) played a pivotal role in introducing the work to this region and integrating it into hadith education, through his engagement with Mishkāt al-Masābīh. This article aims to examine the nature of al-Ikmāl, composed in Tabriz during the 8th/14th century under Shî‘î Ilkhanid rule yet firmly rooted in Sunni tradition, and to assess its influence on the Islamic scholarly tradition that developed in 11th/17th century India. Furthermore, by tracing the circulation of the work across different geographical regions, the study evaluates its position within classical biographical historiography and analyzes how al-Ikmāl was recontextualized in the Indian landscape, particularly through the scholarly approach of ʿAbd al-Haqq Dihlavī. The study employs a content analysis approach supported by comparative readings of relevant sources. It analyzes the textual content, isnad structures, and selection of transmitters to illuminate the interpretative frameworks through which al-Ikmāl was received and reinterpreted. In doing so, it evaluates both the original context of the text’s composition and its subsequent transformations in new intellectual and regional settings. The article argues that ʿAbd al-Haqq Dihlavī’s engagement with Tabrīzī’s works—particularly following his education in the Hijaz at the turn of the first millennium—had a significant impact on the trajectory of hadith scholarship in the Indian subcontinent. This interaction laid the groundwork for the reinterpretation and transmission of the classical hadith tradition within local scholarly frameworks, thereby ensuring its continuity across generations.
Keywords : Hadis, İslam Tarihi ve Medeniyeti, Hatîb et-Tebrizî, Abdülhak Dihlevî, Mişkâtü'l-Mesâbîh, el-İkmâl

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