An Appraisal of the Concept of Al-Kashf in Faḍā’ilu’l-A’māl of Shaykh Zakariyyā Al-Kandahlawī

Abstract

The scope and limitation of the knowledge of scholars are always manifested in their ability to put them down into written materials to serve as influence and legacies for the upcoming generations. Shaykh Zakariyya Al-Kandahlawi is one of the scholars of Islam whose cognitive dispositions remain a magnum opus and influential legacy. He was an author of various works which Faḍā’ilu’l-A’māl, the book under study on is one of them. In this book, Shaykh Zakariyya Al-Kandahlawi discusses the concept of al-Kashf, one of the un-agreed upon concepts in Islam. Therefore, this paper aims at appraising the concept of al-Kashf discussed by Shaykh Zakariyya Al-Kandahlawi in Faḍā’ilu’l-A’māl and to compare his position with other scholars. The methodology employed is analytical so as to analyse discussions of the author. The study revealed that Shaykh Zakariyya Al-Kandahlawi admitted the possibility of al-Kashf only when it is a divine favour of Allah to His servants due to his religious exercises and that it could be bestowed on anyone besides the Prophets of Allah. Therefore, the paper concluded that the objection that Faḍā’ilu’l-A’māl include condemned practices of al-Kashf is a mere misconception and opposition to the book, the author as well as appraises the commendable acts of al-Kashf. This paper recommends further research on the other works of Shaykh Zakariyya Al-Kandahlawi on al-Kashf in other to consolidate his position on the concept.