Sharh al-Hizb al-A‘zam
(شرح الحزب الأعظم)

Sharh al-Hizb al-A‘zam by Tahir Ashrafi (UK) is a practical Arabic reference work designed to make explanations of the supplications in Al-Hizb al-A‘zam readily accessible to readers. Rather than presenting an entirely original scholarly commentary, the work brings together relevant explanations from established classical Hadith commentaries and places them alongside the corresponding supplications.

Reliance on Classical Hadith Commentaries

The compiler draws extensively from well-known Hadith commentaries, most notably Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari’s Mirqat al-Mafatih Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih (مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح), as well as other major works such as Fath al-Bari and al-Nawawi’s Sharh Sahih Muslim.

The method is straightforward: when a particular supplication in Al-Hizb al-A‘zam is based upon or related to a Prophetic narration, the compiler locates the relevant Hadith in a major commentary and selects the pertinent explanatory material. These excerpts are then arranged under the corresponding supplication in the Hizb.

A Convenient Compilation

The value of the work lies primarily in its convenience and accessibility. Explanations that would otherwise require consulting numerous multi-volume Hadith commentaries are gathered together in a single volume and presented directly alongside the relevant supplications.

As a compilation, the work should not be confused with a critical or fully original scholarly commentary. Its principal purpose is to collect and organize existing explanations from recognized Hadith sources, making them readily available to readers studying and reciting Al-Hizb al-A‘zam.

For students and general readers, this arrangement provides a practical way to explore the meanings, Hadith sources, and classical explanations associated with the supplications without having to search through extensive Hadith commentaries themselves.