The Role of Various Sources in the Compilation of the Mir’at Al-Manajih

مرآۃ المناجیح کی تدوین میں مختلف مآخذ کا کردار

Abstract

Mirʾāt al-Manājīḥ, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi's Urdu commentary on Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, is far more than a translation of the ḥadīth it explains. Naeemi was a Qur'an commentator, a ḥadīth scholar and a Ḥanafī jurist, and he wrote the work as a full commentary that connects classical learning with the questions of ordinary readers. Much of its breadth comes from the range of earlier writings he drew on, yet the way these sources shaped the commentary hasn't been studied in detail. This article examines the various sources used in the compilation of Mirʾāt al-Manājīḥ and the role each one plays. Using a descriptive-analytical approach, the study identifies seven main categories of sources: the Qur'an and ḥadīth, works of tafsīr, ḥadīth commentaries (shurūḥ), Ḥanafī fiqh, and collections of fatāwā, Sīrah, and Taṣawwuf. It then looks at how Naeemi uses each of them in practice. The analysis shows that these sources serve different purposes. The Qur'an and ḥadīth form the foundation of the work, and Naeemi often compares parallel narrations to give a fuller picture of a report's meaning. Works of tafsīr help him explain the Qur'anic verses he cites alongside the ḥadīth. Earlier ḥadīth commentaries supply interpretive background, which he adapts rather than simply repeats. Ḥanafī fiqh texts are used to draw out practical rulings, and fatāwā collections support his answers on applied, everyday questions. Sīrah places the ḥadīth in the context of the Prophet's life, while Taṣawwuf adds a spiritual and moral dimension to his explanations. The article concludes that Mirʾāt al-Manājīḥ brings several Islamic disciplines together in a single, accessible commentary.