Ahkam al-Quran lil-Jassas
- Author died
- 370 AH
- Editions
- Ta al-Ilmiyya · tahqiq Qamhawi
Ahkam al-Quran (Legal Rulings of the Quran) is a foundational work of legal exegesis (tafsir fiqhi) authored by the Hanafi jurist Abu Bakr al-Razi al-Jassas (305–370 AH / 917–981 CE), dedicated to deducing and expounding legal rulings from the Quranic text .
Structure and Scope
The work is organized sequentially following the order of the chapters (surahs) of the Quran, but its commentary is confined exclusively to verses containing legal rulings (ayat al-ahkam) . Within each surah, al-Jassas arranges discussions under thematic legal headings patterned after classical books of jurisprudence . In his treatment of Surat al-Nisa', for example, he introduces sections such as:
- Bab daf' amwal al-yatama bi-a'yaniha wa-man'uhu al-wahy min istihlakiha (Handing over the specific assets of orphans and the revelation's prohibition against consuming them)
- Bab tazwij al-sighar (Marriage of minors)
- Bab hibat al-mar'a al-mahr li-zawjiha (A woman gifting her dowry to her husband)
- Bab daf' al-mal ila al-sufaha' (Delivering property to the incompetent)
- Bab akl wali al-yatim min malihi (An orphan's guardian consuming from their property)
Al-Jassas's independent work on legal theory (usul al-fiqh), known as al-Fusul fi al-Usul, was composed to serve as the theoretical introduction to Ahkam al-Quran .
Methodology
Al-Jassas does not restrict his analysis to direct textual deductions; he frequently branches out into secondary legal problems (tafri' al-masa'il) and addresses comparative differences among the legal authorities (ikhtilaf), producing discussions that resemble comparative jurisprudence treatises . When citing prophetic traditions to support legal arguments, he reports hadiths accompanied by his own connected chains of transmission (asanid) .
A central objective throughout the book is the defense and substantiation of the Hanafi school of law. Al-Jassas systematically demonstrates how Hanafi doctrines derive from Quranic verses, responds to arguments raised by other schools, and reinterprets passages cited by opposing jurists against Hanafi positions .
Reception and Critical Assessment
Ahkam al-Quran is regarded as one of the most comprehensive early treatments of legal exegesis and served as an essential source for subsequent scholars who authored works on Quranic legal rulings across various legal schools, such as the Shafi'i jurist al-Kiya al-Harrasi and the Maliki scholars Ibn al-Arabi and al-Qurtubi .
Later scholars and biographers have noted al-Jassas's intense partisanship for the Hanafi school and his sharp rhetoric against opposing jurists, highlighting his direct polemical responses to al-Shafi'i and critical stances toward other figures .
Editions and Manuscripts
Manuscripts of the text are held in major libraries, including al-Azhar Library in Cairo . The work was published in three volumes in Istanbul (1335–1338 AH) and in Cairo at al-Matba'a al-Bahiyya al-Misriyya (1347 AH / 1928 CE) . A widely referenced edition was edited by Muhammad Sadiq Qamhawi and published by Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi in Beirut (1405 AH / 1985 CE) .
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