More Comments, Further Questions

The afterword reflects on the continuity and change in the hadith commentary tradition, spanning over a millennium and various regions. The ongoing practice and longevity of commentarial practice is exemplified with a fifteenth-century Mamluk manuscript of á¹¢aḥīḥ al-BukhÄrÄ«, to which numerous readers added glosses in the margin over the course of time, the last one a student of al-ShawkÄnÄ« in the nineteenth century CE. Turning the view from the past towards the present and the future, the afterword suggests a number of directions for new research: regions like al-Andalus and North Africa, but also contemporary Malaysia, South Africa, and the US; the use and interpretation of hadith by non-Muslims, and the role of gender in commentary traditions; the different media that transmit commentary, from manuscripts to DVDs, databases and digital text corpora; and the diverse commentary practices across sectarian lines. Digital analysis, including text re-use and big-data, will finally open new paths of investigation.