Abd al-Karim Zaydan
- Died
- 1435 AH
- Born in
- -
Abd al-Karim Zaydan (d. 1435 AH / 2014 CE) was an Iraqi jurist, scholar of Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh), and university professor known for his legal works, including al-Wajiz fi Usul al-Fiqh and the multi-volume legal encyclopedia al-Mufassal fi Ahkam al-Mar'ah wa-al-Bayt al-Muslim.
Career and Life
Originally from Iraq, Zaydan served as a professor of Islamic law (Sharia) in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Baghdad. During the Ba'athist period in Iraq, when the Muslim Brotherhood was prevented from operating, he faced administrative and political pressures surrounding his Islamic and educational activities, which led him to leave Iraq for other countries, later residing in Yemen.
Scholarly Contribution and Reception
Zaydan's scholarly output centered on Islamic jurisprudence, legal methodology, and propagation. His treatise on legal theory, al-Wajiz fi Usul al-Fiqh ("The Epitome in the Principles of Jurisprudence"), became widely used as an introductory textbook due to its non-sectarian presentation of juristic principles across multiple schools of law. In substantive law, he produced al-Mufassal fi Ahkam al-Mar'ah wa-al-Bayt al-Muslim fi al-Shari'ah al-Islamiyyah ("The Detailed Compendium on the Rulings Pertaining to Women and the Muslim Household in Islamic Law"), an extensive reference work examining family and gender rulings across the Sunni schools and other traditions, laying out the textual evidence for each position and evaluating the preponderant views. He also authored Usul al-Da'wah ("The Principles of Islamic Propagation"), outlining the methodology and ethics of religious outreach.
While his legal and pedagogical works were valued across contemporary educational institutions, he drew sharp opposition from certain traditionalist quarters; the Yemeni Salafi scholar Muqbil ibn Hadi al-Wadi'i denounced Zaydan, criticizing his modern Western-style attire and condemning his legal opinion permitting women to serve as muftis. Zaydan died in 1435 AH (2014 CE).
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List of Works
Usul al-Dawah (The Principles of Islamic Da'wah) is a treatise on the theory, methodology, and ethics of Islamic propagation. Grounded in evidence from the Quran and the prophetic Sunnah, it examines the subject matter of Islam, the qualifications and morals of the caller, the universal audience addressed by the message, and the communicative methods and practical tools employed in conveying it.