Ibn Qarqul al-Hamzi and His Book Matali' al-Anwar

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Ibn Qarqul al-Hamzi and His Book Matali’ al-Anwar

This article introduces the scholar Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Yusuf ibn Ibrahim ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Badis al-Hamzi, better known as Ibn Qarqul, who died in 569 AH. He was associated with the village of Hamzah near Bijayah, was born in al-Mariyyah in al-Andalus, and studied with major scholars of his age. His learning combined fiqh, grammar, literature, hadith, and skilled writing.

He was widely traveled in pursuit of knowledge, moving through places such as Malaga, Ceuta, Sala, and later settling in Fez, where he taught and benefited students. He also enjoyed a close scholarly friendship with the famous Abu Zayd al-Suhayli, a relationship reflected in Suhayli’s writings and prefaces.

The second half of the article presents Ibn Qarqul’s major work Matali’ al-Anwar ‘ala Sihah al-Athar. The title appears in several expanded forms across manuscript traditions, but the work is essentially devoted to explaining difficult expressions in the Muwatta’, Sahih Muslim, and Sahih al-Bukhari. It also clarifies obscure vocabulary, resolves confusion in narrator names, distinguishes difficult cases, and identifies neglected ambiguities.

The article notes that Ibn Qarqul’s method closely resembles that of Qadi ‘Iyad in Mashariq al-Anwar ‘ala Sihah al-Athar, and in many places the structure and style are nearly identical. Even so, Ibn Qarqul was not merely a transmitter. He rearranged certain materials and inserted his own scholarly comments, often marking them explicitly with phrases such as “I said” or “Ibn Qarqul said,” which reflects both his scholarly independence and his intellectual honesty.

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