al-Hawi lil-Fatawi
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Fikr lil-Ṭibāʿah wal-Nashr
al-Hawi lil-Fatawi (The Comprehensive Collection of Fatwas) is a multi-disciplinary compilation of legal responsa, specialized treatises, and scholarly answers authored by the Egyptian Shafi'i scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (849–911 AH / 1445–1505 CE) .
Purpose and Scope
Al-Suyuti commenced issuing fatwas at the beginning of 871 AH, after which questions and inquiries arrived from diverse regions, generating an extensive corpus of legal answers . In his introduction to the collection, al-Suyuti states that he selected a portion of his most important and intricate legal responsa, focusing specifically on complex and beneficial inquiries while omitting straightforward and obvious rulings .
Structure and Organization
Al-Suyuti arranged the collection systematically across multiple Islamic disciplines:
- Jurisprudence (al-Fiqhiyyat): Structured according to the standard thematic chapters of legal manuals .
- Quranic Exegesis (al-Tafsir): Covering exegesis and Quranic sciences .
- Hadith: Addressing inquiries concerning prophetic traditions, their authenticity, and their implications .
- Legal Theory (al-Usul): Examining principles of jurisprudence and theological topics .
- Arabic Grammar and Syntax (al-Nahw wa-l-I'rab): Treating linguistic and grammatical questions .
- Other Disciplines: Encompassing responsa on miscellaneous arts and sciences .
The compilation incorporates numerous standalone monographs and detailed analytical treatises that al-Suyuti composed in response to specific controversies and questions; it contains eighty-two titled responsa alongside approximately four hundred untitled fatwas , encompassing over one hundred individual treatises .
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