Ghanim ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi
- Died
- 1030 AH
- Born in
- -
Ghanim ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi (d. 1030 AH / 1621 CE) was a Hanafi jurist and scholar, best known for his legal treatise Majma' al-Damanat.
Identity and Scholarship
Al-Baghdadi was known by the honorific title Ghiyath al-Din and held the kunya Abu Muhammad, while some biographical entries also record his kunya as Abu Yusuf. In certain records, his name is additionally cited as Abu Muhammad ibn Ghanim ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi. A versatile scholar versed in multiple disciplines, his primary contributions were dedicated to Hanafi jurisprudence, judicial adjudication, and logic.
In the field of substantive law (furu'), al-Baghdadi compiled Majma' al-Damanat (The Compendium of Legal Liabilities), completing it on 25 Jumada al-Ula 1027 AH (1618 CE). He noted in its introduction that mastering questions of liability (damanat) was among the most essential legal subjects; observing that earlier treatises—such as Jami' al-Fusulayn—had gathered many liability rulings without exhausting the subject's chapters, he surveyed authoritative sources relied upon for fatwas. The work was arranged into thirty-eight chapters, though another catalog description records twenty-eight.
Al-Baghdadi also addressed judicial procedures regarding conflicting testimonies in his legal treatise Malja' al-Qudat 'inda Ta'arud al-Bayyinat (The Refuge of Judges upon the Conflict of Evidence). Beyond jurisprudence, he engaged with logic through al-Wasit, his commentary on Tahdhib al-Mantiq.
Death
Al-Baghdadi died in 1030 AH (1621 CE), while some biographical sources note his death as occurring after 1027 AH (1618 CE) based on the completion date of his major legal work.
Answer updated
List of Works
Majma al-Damanat (The Compendium of Legal Liabilities) is a specialized treatise on civil liability, indemnities, and damages in Hanafi jurisprudence. Completed in 1027 AH (1618 CE), it was compiled as a comprehensive, dedicated manual covering rulings on financial accountability and liabilities across all areas of substantive law for use by judges and muftis.