Arabic books - Hanafi Fiqh

On this page, you will be able to find:
  • Section 1: An overview of some recommended Hanafi texts
  • Section 2: Recommended Hanafi texts in Arabic with download links


Section 1: ​Some Recommended Books in Hanafi Fiqh

(Compiled by Noura Shamma from Sidi Faraz Rabbani’s lesson on ‘Recommended Books’ in his sessions on al-Khulasa in Hanafi fiqh)

The books are of three types:
  1. Relating to Worship.
  2. Those normally studied in traditional curriculums.
  3. Reference works.

Relating to Worship:

I. Nur al-Idah – this is the main matn/text studied in fiqh of worship.
Maraqi al-Falah, is the sharh/commentary on the text. Both of these are by the same author, Imam al-Shurunbulali.

Al-Hashiya (Marginal Notes) of Imam al-Tahtawi is also important to have.
  • Useful to have each of these three works separately.
  • Damascus edition is the best; avoid the Beirut editions – not useful at all.
  • Another edition (?) of Nur al-Idah with footnotes by: Abd al-Jalil ‘Ata and Abd al-Hamid Mahmoud, is available and good.

II. Al-Hadiyah al-Ala’aiyyah – by ‘Alaadin ibn Abidin, son of Ibn Abidin, who is the reference on fatwa in the school. Al-Hadiyah is based on his father’s work, though he differs on a few matters. The Hadiyah is a summary on the final word on worship; also has a very useful section on the fiqh of halal and haram and section on Aqidah. It was intended as a work for elementary level students.
  • Damascus edition is good; look for edition with notes by Shaykh al-Burhani.
  • Should be read along with Nur al-Idah.

III. Al-Halabi al-Kabir – by Shaykh Ibrahim al-Halabi. Photocopying is the only way to get a copy of this work.

Books in the Traditional Curriculum:

I. Al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab – by Abd al-Ghani al-Maydani (who was a student of Ibn Abidin). This work is a sharh/commentary on Mukhtasar al-Quduri.
  • Quduri is the first work studied in fiqh across all Muslim lands.
  • Available editions are mediocre.

II. Al-Tas’hil al-Daruri – Mawlana ‘Ashiq al-Ilahi.
  • Published by Dar al-Arqam
  • Contemporary work; puts the sections of Quduri in a Q&A format.
  • Indian commentaries on Quduri, some available on-line, on albalagha.net bookstore
  • If you can read Urdu, Al-Subh al-Nuri is a good commentary.
  • In Turkish, Muqaya al-Quduri is very useful.

In Arab lands:

Al-Ikhtiyar – by Imam al-Musuli; commentary on the matn of Qurduri.
  • Edition by Shaykh Muhammed Adnan Darwish published by Dar al-Arqam is available.
  • If you can wait, a new edition by Shaykh Su’aib al-Arna’ut is coming soon.

Related Text:
I. Fath Bab al-‘Inayah – Sharh al-Nuqaya – by Mullah Ali al-Qari.
  • Published in 3 vols. by Dar al-Arqam
  • Very clear, one of clearer works available
  • Give legal reasoning and textual evidence
  • Two editions on the market, both mediocre

III. Multaqa al-Abhur – Ibrahim al-Halabi (d.956 A.H.) is a matn. Title means the meeting of oceans. In this work, he gathered four major mutun of the mathhab, and added useful issues from other sources as well.
  • Contains masa’il/issues of all four texts/matn.
  • Language very clear.
  • Text was used extensively in Ottoman lands; he was head teacher at Sultan Muhammed al-Fatih mosque and madrassah, which was one of the highest teaching positions in Ottoman lands.
  • Has two great commentaries on it, by Shaykh Zada and Shaykh al-Haskafi (see below).

IV. Majma’ al-Anhur – Shaykh Zada
  • Extremely useful, clearest commentary in Hanafi fiqh; he defines all the terms, gives examples, and clear explanation.
  • Old edition is excellent; Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyah is a disaster, avoid.
  • Shaykh Zada has a Hashiya on al-Baydawi’s tafsir, the scholars said, “If it wasn’t for Shaykh Zada, al-Baydawi wouldn’t have been understood.”
  • Also has a commentary on Qawaid al-Irab of Ibn Hisham.

V. Al-Durr al-Muntaqa – by Shaykh al-Haskari, who is the author of al-Durr al-Mukhtar on which Ibn Abidin wrote his Hashiya.
  • This commentary is the exact opposite of Shaykh Zada; he uses the most concise expressions possible. He said what counts is the weightiness of the secrets and not the size of the volumes.
  • It is to 1/3 size of Shaykh Zada’s work but has two to three times as many issues.

Final work studied: Al-Hidayah – by al-Marghinani
  • Called the pride of the Hanafis.
  • Took 12 years to write, during which the author was constantly fasting (secretly).
  • It’s only a 1000 pages, but he really distilled it; it is the culminating fruit of the Hanafi mathhab.

There are a number of important works on it; need two of them:

1. Hashiyat al-Lakhnawi.
  • He explains basically just explains the text of the Hidayah without elaborations. It is very clear.
  • Available in Damascus as a photocopy.

2. Fath al-Qadir – by Al-Kamal ibn al-Humam.
  • The edition you want is published with two other commentaries: al-Kafiyah by al-Khawarizmi and al-‘Inayah by Akmal al-Din.
  • Bulaq published this old edition – reprints are available.
  • Fath al-Qadir builds on the Hidayah, doesn’t explain out the text entirely. It is the greatest, most brilliant commentary in the mathhab.
  • Al-Kamal ibn al-Humam is the arguably last person agreed on in the Ummah to be a mujtahid imam; he is buried by request right next to Sidi Ibn ‘Ata’illah in Cairo.

References:

I. Legal Dictionaries:

Al-Mughrib – by al-Mutarrazi, he was a student of the students of al-Zamakhshari. Very useful.

Tilbat al-Talabah – by Imam al-Nasafi.
  • Arranged by chapters of fiqh
  • Explains terms in some detail.
  • Dar al-Nafa’is (Beirut?) is only one worth having – cross-references terms.

Al-Misbah al-Munir – by Al-Fayumi.
  • Not specific to Hanafi fiqh
  • General dictionary of Arabic
  • Explains well, easier to understand than other Arabic/Arabic dictionaries like al-Qamus al-Muhet.

II. Hashiyat Ibn Abidin
  • He is know in the Indian subcontinent as Shami
  • This is the work for legal details.
  • Bulaq edition is a must, its 5 vols., 6th volume is a completion and 7th are notes by al-Rafidi.

Some other recommendations:
1. Al-Durar al-Mubahah fi al-Hathir wa al-Ibahah – by al-Nahlawi
  • This is available in electronic format.
  • Contains the fiqh of halal and haram – he expanded the section in al-Hidayah. Very practical
  • Some parts of it are translated in Reliance

2. Al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiya – by al-Birgivi.
3. Al-Bariqah fi Sharh al-Tariqa – Imam al-Khadimi, in 2 big volumes.

4. Al-Hadiqah al-Nadiyah – Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi, also in 2 volumes
Both are great commentaries; fiqh of taqwa and inward sins, very important.3. In Arabic, two CDs to purchase:

5. al-Mawsu’ah al-Shamilah; have 980 books on it. worth getting, available free from Sidi Faraz.

6. Jami’ al-Fiqh al-Islami – produced by Harf (www.harf.com) in Egypt. It costs about 100$. It has about 100 books in it; all the major reference works of each mathhabs as well as biographies, dictionaries and has excellent search capabilities.

7. Awarif al-Ma’arif – by al-Suhrawardi; one of the key works in tasawuf.

8. Works of Shaykh Al-Alawi al-Makki – many available now in Ghazali bookstore.

9. Miftah al-Jannah – by Shaykh Ahmad al-Haddad; is translated but the Arabic is worth having; also available at Ghazali.

Recommended Books – given at various times
  1. Al-Risalah al-Qushariyah – with Hashiyat al-Arusi
  2. Adab al-Ikhtilfa – Muhammed ‘Awama
  3. Hayat al-Sahaba – al-Kandahlawi; 4vol edition by Dar ibn Kathir.
  4. Qimat al-Zaman ‘inad al-Ulama – Shaykh Abd al-Fatah Abu Ghouda
  5. Safahat min Sabr al-Ulama’ – Shaykh Abd al-Fatah Abu Ghouda.
  6. Tathkirat al-Saami’ wa al-Mutakalim fi Adab al-Ilm wa al-Muta’alim – Ibn al-Jum’ah
  7. Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib – Sayyid Abbas al-Maliki/al-Makki?
  8. Maraqi al-Muftah sharh Miskat al-Misbah – Mulla Ali al-Qari
  9. Mufradat – Raghib al-Isfahani, Dar al-Qalam edition.
  10. Al-Mar’a – Shaykh al-Bouti
  11. Fiqh al-Sirah – Shaykh al-Bouti
  12. Nida’ al-Muminin fil Qur’an al-Mubin – also translated by Muhtar Holland.

​And Allah alone gives success.

Section 2: ​Recommended texts of Hanafi Fiqh with download links