al-Jami li-Masail al-Mudawwana
- Author died
- 451 AH
- Editions
- Ma‘had al-Buḥūth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa-Iḥyā’ al-Turāth al-Islāmī - Jāmi‘at Umm al-Qurā (Silsilat al-Rasā’il al-Jāmi‘iyyah al-Mūṣā bi-Ṭab‘ihā)
al-Jami li-Masa'il al-Mudawwana (Arabic: الجامع لمسائل المدونة, lit. 'The Compendium of the Issues of al-Mudawwana') is a major Maliki legal work composed by Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Yunus al-Tamimi al-Siqilli (d. 451 AH / 1059 CE) . It serves as an extensive commentary, synthesis, and refinement of Sahnun's al-Mudawwana and other early authoritative texts of the Maliki school of law .
Purpose and Composition
Ibn Yunus authored the work in response to requests from students of jurisprudence in his homeland seeking an organized abridgment and clarification of al-Mudawwana and al-Mukhtalata . His stated objectives were to arrange its chapters sequentially, simplify its phrasing, gather and trace the prophetic traditions and reports from the Companions while eliminating unnecessary repetition and chains of transmission (isnad), elucidate difficult and ambiguous legal problems, and supplement gaps using other authoritative legal compendia .
Sources and Methodology
The work expands beyond al-Mudawwana by incorporating material from the core foundational references (ummahat) of the Maliki tradition across various regional schools . Ibn Yunus integrated chapter introductions and legal additions from the works of Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani, particularly his Mukhtasar and al-Nawadir wa-l-Ziyadat, while also drawing supplementary rulings directly from al-Mawwaziyya of Muhammad ibn al-Mawwaz and al-Mustakhraja (also known as al-Utbiyya) of Muhammad al-Utbi .
The treatise opens with introductory sections addressing the virtues and pursuit of religious knowledge, followed by an exposition of legal theory (usul al-fiqh), establishing the foundational sources of Islamic jurisprudence as the Quran, the Sunnah, scholarly consensus (ijma), and analytical deduction (qiyas) . The substantive legal rulings commence thereafter with the Book of Purification (Kitab al-Taharah) .
Reception and Influence
Within the Maliki tradition, al-Jami li-Masa'il al-Mudawwana earned the honorific title Mushaf al-Madhhab (the codex of the school) on account of the sound verification of its legal issues and the high scholarly trustworthiness of its author . It became a primary reference for subsequent Maliki jurists, and Ibn Yunus was recognized as one of the four foremost authorities whose legal preferences and choices formed the core foundation of Khalil ibn Ishaq's standard authoritative text, al-Mukhtasar .
Printed Editions
The work has been edited and published in modern times, including:
- An edition edited by Ahmad ibn Abd al-Karim Najib, published by Markaz Najibawayh in Dublin (2012 CE) .
- A critical edition prepared by a group of doctoral researchers at the Institute of Scientific Research and Revival of Islamic Heritage at Umm al-Qura University, distributed by Dar al-Fikr (1434 AH / 2013 CE) .
Answer updated