al-Insaf li-Ibn Abd al-Barr
- Author died
- 463 AH
- Editions
- Aḍwā’ al-Salaf
al-Inṣāf (in full: al-Inṣāf fīmā bayna ‘ulamā’ al-Muslimīn fī qirā’at Bismi Allāhi al-Raḥmāni al-Raḥīm fī fātiḥat al-kitāb min al-ikhtilāf) is a legal and theological treatise by the Andalusian scholar Ibn Abd al-Barr (d. 463 AH / 1071 CE) examining the jurisprudential and textual disagreements surrounding the recitation of the Basmalah in prayer .
Background and Purpose
In the preface of the treatise, Ibn Abd al-Barr states that he composed the work in response to requests from fellow scholars and students of jurisprudence seeking an impartial exposition of the traditions and opinions held by the early generations (salaf)—including the Companions and Successors—regarding the recitation of بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ at the start of Surat al-Fatiha during prayer . The author also cites the work in his larger encyclopedic commentaries under variant titles, such as al-Inṣāf fīmā bayna al-mukhtalifīn fī Bismi Allāhi al-Raḥmāni al-Raḥīm min al-khilāf and al-Inṣāf fīmā bayna al-‘ulamā’ min al-ikhtilāf .
Subject Matter and Scope
The treatise addresses several interrelated legal and Quranic questions:
- Whether the Basmalah forms part of the Quran outside of Surat al-Naml, where it is unanimously recognized as part of verse 30 .
- Whether it constitutes the first verse of Surat al-Fatiha specifically, or an independent verse heading every surah (except Surat al-Tawbah) .
- The specific rulings regarding its performance in obligatory and voluntary prayers:
- Omission in obligatory prayers: The position of Malik ibn Anas, his school, al-Awza'i, and al-Tabari, who maintained that the Basmalah is not recited in obligatory prayers either aloud or silently, though permitted in voluntary night prayers (nawāfil) .
- Silent recitation (isrār): The position held by scholars of Iraq and al-Kufah, including Sufyan al-Thawri, Abu Hanifa, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, and Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, who ruled that the imam recites it silently before al-Fatiha .
- Audible recitation (jahr): The position associated with al-Shafi'i and several early authorities who viewed it as a verse of al-Fatiha that should be pronounced audibly in vocal prayers .
Ibn Abd al-Barr systematically evaluates the textual proofs (āthār) for each position, contrasting the regional transmission and verse-counting traditions of Medina, al-Sham, and Basra against those of Mecca and al-Kufah .
Reception and Editions
The author cross-referenced this monograph in his major works, al-Tamhid and al-Istidhkar, directing readers who sought an exhaustive compilation of the proofs on the Basmalah to consult it . Later scholars who wrote monographs or commentary sections on the Basmalah frequently cited Ibn Abd al-Barr's classifications and transmissions .
The treatise was printed in Cairo in 1343 AH as a 42-page tract . A later critical edition prepared by Abd al-Latif ibn Muhammad al-Jilani was published in Riyadh by Adwa' al-Salaf in 1417 AH / 1997 CE .
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