Works on Jurisprudence and Legal Theory

Jurisprudence and Legal Theory (al-fiqh wa iṣūlihi)

This is a copy has not been updated in a while. It has all the active links to the PDF files.

It’s still a very useful page and until its fully superseded its offered here to help those who still need these files

  • {التعليقة} al-Taʿlīqa (a commentary on al-Juwani’s Uṣūl al-fiqh work) This work would be superseded by the two works listed below a case of discipulus potior magistro. [M:1; A:1]

 

  • {المنخول من تعليقة الإصول} al-Mankhul min taʿlīqat al-iṣūl, (the sifted from the Commentary on the fundamentals)  One of his early attempts on legal theory of Muslim Jurisprudence. Followed his teacher (al-Juwayni) who was reportedly impressed with this work. [M:2; A:2; GAL. no 52; K:11936]
    • Arabic: al-Mankhul min taliqat al-isul. edited by M. H. Hito. ND/NP [Damascus?, 1970?(intro. p.48)] 48pp+541pp. [ḥaqqaqahu wa-kharraja nassahu wa-ʿallaqa ʿalayhi Muhammad Hasan Hitu. Yunsharu li-awwal marrah ´an thalath nusakh makhtutah.] (Complete Arabic PDF) courtesy of KG. Also available zipped word file of text only.

 

  • {البسيط} al-Basīṭ (The Spread) A Jurisprudential work in Shafi’i rite. Condensed from al-Juwayni’s book Nihayt al-muṭlab, which is a commentary on al-Muzini’s condensation of al-Shafi’i’s kitab al-Um. A bit confusing! As far as I know this work has not been published. Sections of this work has been edited as part of a graduate thesis at the Islamic University in Madinah, KSA. [M:3, A:3, GAL no 48].

 

  • {الوسيط في المذهب} Al-wasīṭ fī al-mathab (The medium [digest] in the [Jurisprudential] school). This book is considered one of the five major works in Shafi’i school jurisprudence. [M:4; A:4; GAL I, 424]
    • Arabic: Al-wasit fi al-mathab: dirasah wa-taḥqīq wa-taʿlīq ʿAlī Muḥyī al-dīn ʿAlī al-Qarah Daghi; tunsharu li-awwal marrah ʿalā ʿashr nusakh fī ghayat al-qidam wa-al-ahammiyah. ([Cairo] : Dar al-Iʿtiṣām, 1984. 2 v. (879 p.) ; 24 cm.). Editor states that he used “10 old and important Mss” in preparing this edition. One of our source states that this book is not the complete work. Now as many days have passed its been complete and has been published in 9 volumes by Dar al-Bashaʾir al-Islāmiyya Beirut, 2015
    • Arabic: Al-wasit fi al-mathab: edited by Abi `Amr al-Husayni ibn `Umar ibn `Abd al-Rahim (Beriut: Dar al-Kutub al-`Ilmiyah, 2001. 4 v. ; 25 cm). While this work contains the complete text it leaves much to be desired in a publication.
    • Arabic: Al-wasit fi al-mathab: editing by Ahmad Mahmud Ibrahim, published with al-Nawawi’s commentary (al-Tanqih fi sharh al-Wasit) and 3 other minor commentaries by dar al-salam Cairo, 1997. This edition is available online in 7 volumes. (Link to pdf text) (alternate link)

 

  • {الوجيز في فقه الإمام الشافعي} Al-wajiz fi fiqh al-imam al-shafi’i. (The condensed in Imam Shafi’i’s Jurisprudence) – A shorter work on Shafi’i fiqh [Islamic Jurisprudence], includes contrary opinions of Malik, Abu Hanifa and al-Muzni. [M:5?, 36; A:36; GAL I, 424; K:14191]
    • Arabic: Al-wajiz fi fiqh al-imam al-shafi’i. 2 vol. ed. Ali Ma’wad and ‘Adil Abdelmujud, Dar al-arqam: Beiruit, 1997. Volume 1, volume 2 (PDF) – (alternate link)
    • Commentary: This book was then expanded upon (sharh) by abul-Qasem al-Rafi’ai called al-aziz sharh al-wajiz (pdf) which in turn was summarized by al-Nawawi in a book called rawdat al-talibin (pdf) link to online text.
    • Summary: This book was summarized (mukhtasr)  by abul-Qasem al-Rafi’ai called al-muharar which in turn was summarized by al-Nawawi in a book called minhāj al-ṭālibīn wa ʿumdat al-muftīn. (pdf) This work alone has had at least 100 commentaries on it, c.f. pp. 18-43 for an annotated listing.
  • (المستصفى من علم الأصول) al-Mustasfa min ‘ilm al-isul. (On Legal theory of Muslim Jurisprudence).  A celebrated work of al-Ghazali on Usul al-Fiqh is considered one of four works that all isul work revolve around and they are: 1. The mu`tazalite `Abd al-Jabar (d. 415) al-Qadi’s al-`umad; 2. abu al-Husain (d. 473) al-Basri’s al-mu`tamad(commentary on al-`umad); 3. al-Imam al-Harmian abu al-Ma`ali (d. 478) Juywani’s al-Burhan and 4. this book. (See Hito’s introduction to al-mankhul p.9 ;27). [M:59 ; A:63; GAL,S. I. 754, no 51; K:11936]

    • Arabic Editions:
    • Bulaq Edition in two volumes reprinted in Beirut: Volume 1, 2 (pdf)
      • Recent edited edition in 4 volumes, edited by H. Z. Hafiz, Jeddah, n.d.: (pdf)
      • al-Mustasfa min ‘ilm al-isul. (Arabic link), a ‘complete’ text edition (Arabic word) Seems to have the printed text’s page numbers. (zipped)
    • English: Vol. 1 was translated in: ABU HAMID AL-GHAZALI’S JURISTIC DOCTRINE IN ‘AL-MUSTASFA MIN ‘ILM AL-USUL’ WITH A TRANSLATION OF VOLUME ONE OF ‘AL-MUSTASFA MIN ‘ILM AL-USUL’. HAMMAD, AHMAD ZAKI, PHD. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, 1987. (T-30177) (part-1-PDF) is a study of al-Ghazali’s contribution to Usul one of the first in the English language. (part 2: translation of volume 1-PDF). Professor Doctor Ahmad Zaki Hammad has published an edition in Arabic that is a very nice edition. In that book it mentions the English translation is also published. I have not been able to find this anywhere. If someone knows anything about this or a way to contact him please let me know. dakhilak! @ ghazali .org
    • Turkish: Islam Hukunda: Deiller va Yorum Metodolojisi, Turkcesi Yunus Apaydin, Rey Yayincihk, Kayseri, 1994. Volume 1, Volume 2 (PDF)
  • {اساس القياس} Asas al-Qiyas, (foundation of Analogical [reasoning]) [M:67; A:61]
    • Arabic: Asas al-Qiyas, edited by Fahd ibn Muhammad al-Sadhan (al-Riyad : Maktabat al-`Ubaykan, 1993). (pdf)
  • Fatawy al-Ghazali (Verdicts of al-Ghazali) edited by Mahmoud M. Abu Sway, Kula Lumpur (1996) (pdf) – A new edition that utilizes different manuscripts (3 from dar al-kutub al-zahirya) than Abu Sway’s edition has been published ed. Ali M. al-tasa, al-Yamama, Damascus, 2004.

 

NOTE: The numbers listed above in square brackets refer to M = Bouyges, Maurice. Essai de chronologie des oeuvres de al-ghazali (Algazel). Edited by Michel Allard. Beirut: L’Institue de Lettres Orientales de Beyrouth, 1959; A =Badwai, ‘Abd al-Rahman, Mu’allafat al-Ghazali. 2nd ed. Kuwait: Wakalat al-Mutbu’at, 1977- numbers as listed. The links are provided to the individual page in Bouyges or Badawi. The GAL listing is given below. The following numbers are offered as mentioned in Bouyges 1959: Brockelmann, Carl. Geschichte der arabischen litteratur. 2 vols. plus 3 suppl. vols., Leiden, E.J. Brill, 1937-42, Second edition: 1943-45.   [GAL, S]   GAL, I: 534-546 (PDF: 1943); S, I: 744-756. (PDF: 1937). Kâtip Çelebi. Lexicon bibliographicum et encyclopaedicum … ad codicum Vindobonensium Parisiensium et Berolinensis fidem primum edidit Latine vertit et commentario indicibusque instruxit Gustavus Fluegel. …. Arabic text with Latin trans. by Gustav Lebrecht Fluegel. 7 vols., Leipzig: Published for the Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland, 1835-1858.  [K] If you see a glaring error or have strong opinions, supported by fact or argument, about any work listed above or missing do let me know.

mh