Al-Arf Al-Shazi

Al-Arf Al-Shazi is a commentary on Sunan Al-Tirmizi. It was compiled by Maulana Chiragh sb. from the dictations of Allama Kashmiri. Maulana Chiragh studied under Allama Kashmiri at Darul Uloom Deoband. After completing his studies in 1918, he took up a teaching post in Gujranwala, Punjab (present day Pakistan) and later established an institute of higher Islamic learning in Gujranwala. Allama Kashmiri did not have the opportunity to revise the manuscript which was later published in two volumes and titles as Al-Arf Al-shazi. In its introduction,  Maulana Chiragh mentions the difficulty he had in the process of compiling this work. For example, it is stated that Allama Kashmiri dictated his lectures in the Urdu language and he chose to compile these lectures in the Arabic language. He, therefore, admits that the work was not devoid of shortcomings and that he, and not Allama Kashmiri, is responsible for any discrepancies in the work.

It is unfortunate, however, that despite the fact that Maulana Chiragh took full responsibility for any shortcomings in Al-Arf Al-Shazi, Maulana Abd-ul-Rehman Mubarakpury in his commentary on Sunan Al-Tirmizi, namely Tuhfa al-Ahwazi highlighted the errors in Al-Arf Al-Shazi and attributed them to Allama Kashmiri. The writer of this dissertation is of the view that such an accusation casts a slur on Allama Kashmiri teaching capabilities, insinuating that he commited errors during the course of his lectures and misguided his students. Its seems that Maulana Abd al-Rehaman Mubarakpuri did not carefully read the introduction Of Al-Arf Al-Shazi in which Maulana Chiragh exonerated Allama Kashmiri from any shortcomings in that work.