Sheikh Abu Adnan Language: English | Format: Mp3 + PDF | PDF Pages: 453 | Size: N/A
The Fiqh of Worship. The book of al-‘Umdah is an abbreviated book of Fiqh according to the hanbali school of Fiqh (madhhab).
Fiqh is a subject that to some extent is
being neglected these days with more concerted efforts taking place in
the realm of aqidah (creed), and although it is undoubtedly pertinent
that one learn what is permissible and not in relation to their beliefs,
it is similarly important that the Muslims know what is permissible or
otherwise in terms of their actions.
The term fiqh is commonly translated as
jurisprudence, yet the meaning of jurisprudence has been somewhat
allusive to most people. Linguistically, the word fiqh means
‘understanding’ whereas the technical meaning applied to fiqh is that it
is knowledge of the practical legal rulings derived from the detailed
evidences. Of course, to many people such a classification will seem
like technical legal jargon but it simply means that fiqh is knowledge
of what is halal and haram in accordance with the Islamic sources of
authority.
The Hanbali school of legal thought was
the last of the four major schools of thought to formulate its
principles, and built upon the scholarship of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal it
has survived and been practised for over a millennium. There were many
periods in history when the Hanbalis numbered a handful, although today
the school of thought seems to be making a resurgence. From amongst the
long line of Hanbali scholars Muwaffaq-al-Din Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn
Muhammad ibn Qudama Al Maqdisi is amongst the most famous with his
scholastic contributions making an impact on schools other than his own,
not only in fiqh but also in aqidah. Having grown up in a religious
family devoted to learning, he along with relatives would travel to
Baghdad to seek knowledge already having benefitted from the scholars of
Damascus (his own city) having moved there from Palestine. A
contemporary of Salahuddin, he, along with his relatives took part in
the great battle against the Crusaders which saw the end of their
barbaric control of Jerusalem.
The Hanbali scholar Abdul Qadir ibn
Badran discussed the juristic contributions of Ibn Qudama stating that
he wrote four major books in Fiqh which served as a curriculum, the
first one (Al Umdah) suitable for the absolute beginner and the last one
(Al Mughni) qualifying the student as a jurist.[1] It is Umdah Al Fiqh
that is the focus of this review, since the book serves as essential for
those who wish to ground themselves in fiqh and grasp the basics.
Many Hanbali scholars past and present
have attached great importance to Ibn Qudama’s Al Umdah due to its
scholastic value, clear layout, simple language, and providence of basic
evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah. He says in his introduction, “I
have abridged this book of fiqh as much as I can and shortened it merely
to one opinion of the school so that it will serve as a primer for the
reader. Thus, he will not be confused as to what is correct because of
differing reports and narrations. Some of my (Muslim) brothers asked me
to summarise it so as to make it simple for the teachers and to
facilitate its memorisation for students…”
The ease by which the student can
encompass all of the major topics of fiqh is facilitated by Ibn Qudama’s
method of writing the manual. The chapters begin with a hadith
(prophetic tradition) related from the authentic compilations and Ibn
Qudama’s discussion is drawn out of that hadith – a method which instils
within the reader the importance of hadith as well as encouraging
him/her to study the prophetic traditions. It was for reasons such as
these that many of the great luminaries from amongst the Hanbalis paid
attention to this brief primer. Ibn Taymiyyah undertook its explanation
which provides an extremely beneficial analysis of the primer although
he did not complete it only reaching the chapter of pilgrimage. However,
that which he did complete is extremely beneficial for the student, its
depth is realised by the fact that reaching the chapter of pilgrimage
took him four volumes! It has been printed by Dar Ibn Taymiyyah (Cairo)
and Al Maktabah Al Dhahiriyyah (Damascus).
The most well known explanation of the
primer is Al Uddah Sharh al Umdah by the faqih (jurist) and muhaddith
(traditionalist) Baha’uddeen Abdul Rahman ibn Ibrahim Al Maqdisi. His
explanation is a detailed exposition of the Hanbali school of thought
crammed with evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Although Al Umdah
provides only one position in regards to a legal issue, Al Uddah at many
junctures quotes up to three opinions found within the school (as well
as the scholars these opinions are ascribed to) whilst occasionally
mentioning the opinions of the other Imams, although, this is not an oft
occurrence. Some scholars state that Al Uddah is, arguably, an abridged
form of Ibn Qudamah’s Al Kafi (the third book in his curriculum) but
written as an explanation to Al Umdah.
Al Uddah has become somewhat of a norm to
be studied alongside Al Umdah, although, it can be confusing for those
who are absolute beginners in fiqh, and more specifically, the Hanbali
School of thought. Al Uddah has been published by Maktabah Al Qahirah
(Cairo) although it contains many errors as well as the verification of
hadith being unreliable. A better verification has been provided by the
scholar Dr. Abdullah Al Turki and printed by Mu’assasah Al Risalah (in
two volumes).
Al Umdah also has a few contemporary
explanations such as that written by Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz Al Jibreen,
and due to its simplicity, it seems to be more of an appropriate
starting point for the beginner than Al Uddah. Such is also the case
with Hashiyah ala Umdah Al Fiqh by shaikh Abdullah Aali Bassam which
provides explanatory notes that accompany Al Umdah.
Al Umdah, being a brief primer in Hanbali
fiqh is extremely beneficial for those beginning a new course of study
as well as those wanting to go over the basics. The manual consists of
short chapters which are very much understandable, and the brevity of
the primer leaves the reader thirsty for more. The issues covered within
the respective chapters are core points to note, but the intriguing way
in which they are presented leaves the reader with deeper questions as
if the discussion at hand was intended not only to inform the reader of
the legal issue, but to invoke questions deeper into the topic.
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