An Anatomy of a Falsification: Did ‘Alī al-Qārī (d. 1014/1605) Abandon His Opinion on the Prophet’s Parents in his Commentary on al-Shifā’?

Abstract

Nūr al-Dīn ʿAlī b. Sulṭān al-Qārī was an important religious scholar born in Herat in the 16th century. Following the Safavid rule in the region, he migrated to Hejaz-then under Ottoman control-, where he lived until the end of his life. ʿAlī al-Qārī is especially known for his works in the fields of qirāʾah, ḥadīth, and fiqh. He shaped his scholarly perspective through the teachings of the Ḥanafī School while preserving the Salafist perspective. His depth in the science of hadith and his expertise in qirāʾah made him one of the leading scholars of his time. ʿAlī al-Qārī’s views on the afterlife status of the Prophet’s parents have long been a theological debate. Most Islamic scholars have argued that the Prophet’s parents were in Paradise because they thought that it would be disrespectful and hurtful to the Prophet. In contrast, ʿAlī al-Qārī, believing that this was a more realistic approach, stated that the Prophet’s parents died as unbelievers. Although this opinion was criticized by some contemporaries, ʿAlī al-Qārī defended his views by adding depth to the subject with rational and narrative evidence. ʿAlī al-Qārī first expressed this theological stance in his commentary on Abū Ḥanīfah’s al-Fiqh al-akbar where his discussion of the Prophet’s parents reflected his scholarly courage. Later, he put forward his views on this subject in his independent treatise entitled Adillat muʿteqad Abī Ḥanīfah al-aʿzạm fī abaway al-rasūl. Moreover, in Sharḥ al-Shifāʾ, his commentary on al-Qādī ʿIyāḍ’s al-Shifāʾ, he maintained the same point of view and repeated his opinion on the afterlife status of the Prophet’s parents. However, some sources claim that he abandoned this view toward the end of his life. This has led to some doubts as to his final opinion on the subject. This article aims to examine how ʿAlī al-Qārī’s views in Sharḥ al-Shifāʾ were transmitted through history and how they were altered across different editions. ʿAlī al-Qārī expressed his opinion on this issue in two different chapters in his Sharḥ al-Shifāʾ. First, in the third chapter, under the section discussing narrations about the Prophet finding and causing water to gush forth in the desert; and second, in the same chapter, in the section on narrations concerning the Prophet resurrecting the dead and their speech. These passages reflect ʿAlī al-Qārī’s conclusive stance on the subject. The manuscripts of the work copied closest to the time of ʿAlī al-Qārī represent the versions that are most faithful to the original text. For this reason, this article provides a comprehensive literature review of how these key passages were preserved and transmitted in the manuscript tradition. It then examines how the same passages appeared in the earliest printed editions from the Ottoman era, followed by an analysis of modern printings. The findings of our study revealed that significant alterations were made in the texts of different editions of ʿAlī al-Qārī’s Sharḥ al-Shifāʾ. These changes represent one of the clearest examples of the concept of “falsification” in religious texts, alterations that modify the original meaning and intent of a scholar’s work. In Sharḥ al-Fiqh al-akbar, ʿAlī al-Qārī himself reports that some people criticized him for his stance on this subject and he accused them of ignorance. In the works written on the subject after his death, he and his views on the subject were constantly targeted. The falsification revealed in our research shows that the reaction against him continued through his works after his death. We think that our study is important in terms of the detection of falsification, which is frequently encountered in written literature, within Islamic scholarship where sincerity and authenticity are considered fundamental principles.