عنوان الكتاب: موسوعة فتح الملهم بشرح صحيح الإمام مسلم

المؤلف: شبير أحمد العثماني – محمد تقي الدين العثماني

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This Sharh of Saheeh Muslim is authored by two great scholars.
1. Allamah Shabbir Ahmed Usmani.
2. Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani.

The great Turkish Imam of all the sciences of Islam Allamah Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari (عليه الرحمة) wrote a review on Fathul Mulhim by Allamah Shabbir Ahmed Usmani (عليه الرحمة). Allamah Kawthari’s  student the great Syrian muhaddith, faqeeh, usooli, Shaikh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah (عليه الرحمة) wrote a review on the second part, Takmilatu Fathil Mulhim by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (حفظه الله). Below is a summary of both:

Summary of Allamah Kawthari’s review:

Due to the high status that Saheeh Muslim holds among the usoolus sittah, many scholars wrote books on different aspects of this momentous work. Some complied mustakhrajaat on it, while some mentioned the status of its rijaal. A few scholars pinpointed certain objections that may be levied at it while others wrote commentaries that explain its meanings. Below is a list of some of its shurooh.

المعلم بفوائد مسلم/تأليف المازري ت536 هـ

إكمال المعلم / تأليف القاضي عياض ت 544 هـ

المفهم شرح تلخيص صحيح مسلم / تأليف أبي العباس القرطبي ت656 هـ

المنهاج شرح صحيح مسلم بن الحجاج/ تأليف النووي ت 676 هـ

إكمال إكمال المعلم / تأليف الأبي ت 728 هـ

مكمل إكمال المعلم للسنوسي ت892 هـ

However, reality is that none of the shurooh fulfilled the rights of Saheeh Muslim from all aspects. If one mentions the fiqh and aqeedah of a particular mathab it would ignore the other mathaahibs of fiqh and aqeedah. Some even neglected explaining the introduction of Muslim which is one of the earliest works of usulul hadith along with Muslim’s book, at-Tamyeez. Such a book deserves to be explained at lengths. You will find that some of the commentators have neglected speaking on the rijaal completely even though a researcher is in dire need of that aspect especially in places of objections and criticisms. So if one of those shurooh pleases you from one aspect it would not quench your thirst from another. This state was found across the board. So there was always a need to fill this gap.

Finally this dream was made a reality when “Fathul Mulhim Sharh Saheeh Muslim” appeared in its attractive garb amongst the publications of India. We have envied this commentary deeply as it has efficiently fulfilled all the above aspects and truly filled this void.

And why not when the author is:

 الجهبذ الحجة الجامع لأشتات العلوم محقق العصر المفسر المحدث الفقيه البارع النقاد الغواص مولانا شبير أحمد العثمان

The Shaikhul Hadith of Jameah Islamiyah, Dabhel, Gujrat, India.

Summary of Shaikh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah’s review:

1. The author has explained all the difficult words in the text of the hadiths.
2. He has explained every difficult sentence.
3. He has removed any apparent contradictions.
4. He has cleared up arduous issues of the sanad.
5. He has spelled out the names of the narrators.

6. He has researched and presented the opinions of the scholars in a concise, precise and reader-friendly manner.

7. He is very honest in referencing the statements of the scholars and never ascribes anything to himself that he took from someone else.

8. He mentions the evidences used by the different scholars and pinpoints the preferred opinion without any bias for a particular school of thought.

9. He is very respectful with those he debates. Rather, he never gives the reader the impression that he is of the same caliber of the scholars he is debating with. This is a noble quality that the students should take from him, since in our times there are those who refute the scholars of the past as though they are of their caliber or even above them in status.

10. He also follows up on what the earlier scholars said, make amendments and add supplements to their discussions.

11. Another beauty of this Sharh is that the author mentions many narrations from other books of hadith which gives the reader the full picture of what the Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) was saying. In this the author removes any doubts or objections the reader may have by only reading the wordings of Muslim. Since it is known that narrations explain one another and an issue is not truly understood unless all its chains are gathered in one place.

12. Throughout the Sharh the author delves into important discussions of e’lalul hadith in the style of the muhadditheen.

13. The author also refutes the deviant sects with strong arguments. He dispels the doubts created by the early and later proponents of Bidah. He falsifies and rebuts the claims of the orientalist of our times.

14. One of the unique aspects of this work is the author makes it his job to explain the many contemporary masaail and issues that the ummah faces in the light of the hadith he is commentating on. In this way the author has proven that the Shariah of Allah brought to this world by His final Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) is timeless and can and will apply to all times and situations.

So may Allah grant the author,  الاخ الشيخ العلامة اللوزعي المحدث الفقيه الالمعي القاضي محمد تقي العثماني the best of rewards on our behalf. May He prolong his life and help us to benefit from him. Ameen.