Haj Baba Qazwini’s Treatise: A Commentary on a Prophetic Hadith

Muhammad-Rida Bandarchi

Haj Baba Qazwini was one of the ulema of 11th c. / who studied under Mulla Khalil Qazwini (d. 1089/1678) and Sheikh Baha’i (d. 1030/1620). He authored an Arabic book called Mashkul, in imitation of Sheikh Baha’i’s Kashkul. Mashkul contains hadiths, fine hikayats prose narratives advice, and teachings. Among the subjects discussed, there is a commentary on a hadith uttered by the Prophet Muhammad in which he was asked about where God had been prior to the creation of the universe. He answered that He had been within a thin film of cloud, under and above which was the air. Explaining the six levels of the universe, Haji Baba Qazwini presents his commentary on the hadith; in it, he interpretes the “place” as some stages of the universe.

Key Words: Mashkul, Haj Baba Qazwini, Treatise, Commentary, the Prophetic Hadith

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