al-Muharrar fi al-Fiqh ala Madhhab Ahmad - wa maahu al-Nukat wa al-Fawaid al-Sunniya
- Author died
- 652 AH
- Editions
- Matba'at al-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah
al-Muharrar fi al-Fiqh ala Madhhab Ahmad - wa maahu al-Nukat wa al-Fawaid al-Sunniya is a Hanbali legal text authored by Majd al-Din Abu al-Barakat Ibn Taymiyya (d. 652 AH / 1254 CE), accompanied by the marginal gloss al-Nukat wa al-Fawa'id al-Sunniyya 'ala Mushkil al-Muharrar by Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Muflih (d. 763 AH / 1362 CE) .
Authorship and Composition
The primary text, al-Muharrar fi al-Fiqh, was composed by Majd al-Din Abu al-Barakat 'Abd al-Salam ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Abi al-Qasim ibn Taymiyya al-Harrani (born ca. 590 AH / 1194 CE; d. 652 AH / 1254 CE) .
The accompanying supercommentary, titled al-Nukat wa al-Fawa'id al-Sunniyya 'ala Mushkil al-Muharrar, was written by his grandson's student, Shams al-Din Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muflih al-Maqdisi al-Ramini (d. 763 AH / 1362 CE; another report records 762 AH) . Ibn Muflih completed the composition of his notes prior to the year 740 AH .
Purpose and Methodology
Majd al-Din Ibn Taymiyya designed al-Muharrar as an abridged, precise compendium of jurisprudence according to the school of Ahmad ibn Hanbal . In his introduction, he states that he compiled the majority of foundational legal issues (usul al-masa'il), deliberately excluding rational justifications ('ilal) and textual proofs (dala'il), and compressed its phrasing to facilitate memorization for students . Methodologically, the work follows the structure of al-Hidayah by Abu al-Khattab al-Kalwadhani . Majd al-Din cites competing transmissions (riwayat) and internal positions (wujuh); at times he mentions divergent reports without specifying a preference, while at other times he states his chosen position using formulas such as "and the correct view in my opinion" (wa-al-sahih 'indi) .
In al-Nukat wa al-Fawa'id al-Sunniyya, Ibn Muflih clarifies the ambiguous and difficult expressions of al-Muharrar, details differing opinions within the Hanbali school, and critically evaluates Majd al-Din's legal preferences .
Standing in the Hanbali School
al-Muharrar is considered one of the relied-upon reference texts of intermediate Hanbali jurisprudence and was widely studied and memorized by scholars . It occupies a position alongside Ibn Qudama's al-Muqna'; Hanbali scholars frequently determine the standard doctrine of the school based on the points of agreement between "the Two Shaykhs" (al-Muwaffaq Ibn Qudama and al-Majd Ibn Taymiyya) .
Commentaries and Related Works
A substantial body of scholarship developed around al-Muharrar:
- Commentaries: Majd al-Din's grandson, Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH), authored an extensive commentary titled al-Ta'liq al-Muqarrar 'ala al-Muharrar, which remained in uncopied draft form across multiple volumes . Safi al-Din 'Abd al-Mu'min ibn 'Abd al-Haqq al-Qati'i (d. 739 AH) composed Tahrir al-Muqarrar fi Sharh al-Muharrar in six volumes . Other commentaries include those by Ibn Rajab, Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn Wajih al-Shishini (al-Muqarrar Sharh al-Muharrar), Baha' al-Din al-Baghdadi, Yusuf ibn Majid al-Mardawi, and partial commentaries by 'Abd Allah al-Zurayrani (d. 729 AH) and Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Zarkashi .
- Glosses and Abridgments: Supercommentaries were penned by Taqi al-Din ibn Qundus (d. 861 AH), Ahmad ibn Nasr Allah (d. 844 AH)—who also prepared an abridgment (Mukhtasar al-Muharrar)—and Hamza ibn Shaykh al-Salamiyya . Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Adami composed al-Munawwir fi Rajih al-Muharrar, focusing on its preponderant rulings, while Ibn 'Ubaydan wrote Zawa'id al-Muharrar . Additionally, Yusuf ibn Majid al-Maqdisi arranged legal hadiths according to its chapter order in al-Muqarrar 'ala Abwab al-Muharrar .
Publication History
al-Muharrar and Ibn Muflih's al-Nukat wa al-Fawa'id al-Sunniyya were published jointly in two volumes, edited by Muhammad Hamid al-Fiqi and printed by Matba'at al-Sunna al-Muhammadiyya in Cairo in 1369 AH (another source cites 1360 AH) . The combined work was later reissued by Maktabat al-Ma'arif in Riyadh in 1404 AH / 1984 CE .
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