An Introduction to the Poem Tuhfat Al-Sarraʾ by Muḥammad Al-Mahdī Matjinūsh: A Descriptive and Comparative Study with Al-Jaʿbarī’s ʿUqūd Al-Jumān 10.35781/1637-000-131-004

Abstract

Main Objectives of the Study: 1. To highlight the scholarly status of Shaykh Muḥammad al-Mahdī Matjinūsh among students and researchers. 2. To promote the utilization of his poem Tuhfat al-Sarraʾ and other authored works. Research Methodology: The researcher adopted a descriptive approach to analyze the poem, alongside a comparative methodology. Information was meticulously documented from primary sources, and the introductory verses of the poem were appended at the end of the study. Structure of the Study: The study comprises an introduction, a preamble, and two main sections: * The first section introduces the poem. * The second section presents a comparative analysis between Tuhfat al-Sarraʾ and al-Jaʿbarī’s ʿUqūd al-Jumān. This is followed by a conclusion, an appendix, and a bibliography. Key Findings: 1. The study affirms the scholarly stature of Muḥammad al-Mahdī Matjinūsh through his biography and poetic work, identifying him as a Sufi adhering to Ashʿarī theology and the Mālikī school of jurisprudence. 2. Matjinūsh heavily relied in his poem on Muḥādhī by Ibn ʿAbd al-Salām al-Fāsī and al-Tawḍīḥ wa al-Bayān by Idrīs al-Wadghīrī. 3. One of the major differences between Tuhfat al-Sarraʾ and ʿUqūd al-Jumān lies in their subject matter: the former addresses the science of tajwīd in general, while the latter focuses specifically on the articulation points and characteristics of Arabic letters.