al-Muqaddima al-Hadramiyya
- Author died
- 918 AH
- Editions
- al-Dār al-Muttaḥidah
al-Muqaddima al-Hadramiyya (The Hadrami Primer), also known as Masa'il al-Ta'lim (Questions for Instruction), is a foundational manual of Shafi'i jurisprudence authored by the Yemeni scholar Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman Bafadl al-Hadrami (850–918 AH / 1446–1512 CE) .
Author and Context
The author, Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr Bafadl al-Hadrami, was born in 850 AH and pursued Islamic jurisprudence in Aden and other cities under teachers such as Muhammad ibn Ahmad Bafadl, Abd Allah ibn Ahmad Makhrama, and Burhan al-Din ibn Zahira . He was appointed to teach at the grand mosque of al-Shihr, where he assumed leadership in legal rulings (fatwa) and jurisprudence across the surrounding territories until his death on Sunday, 5 Ramadan 918 AH (though Hadiyyat al-Arifin erroneously records his death in 1033 AH) . Aside from al-Muqaddima al-Hadramiyya, Bafadl composed other works, including al-Hujaj al-Qawati', Lawami' al-Anwar, a collection of legal responsa (al-Fatawa), and an astronomical treatise .
Content and Scope
The work serves as an instructional primer on the rulings of ritual worship (ibadat) according to the Shafi'i school . Its chapters systematically outline:
- Ritual Purity (al-Taharah): The legal statuses of water (disliked, used, and impure water), legal investigation (ijtihad) regarding water and direction, vessels, innate hygiene practices (khisal al-fitra), ablution (wudu') with its requirements, recommendations, dislikes, and nullifiers, wiping over leather footgear (al-mash 'ala al-khuffayn), manners of relieving oneself, purificatory washing (ghusl), dry ablution (tayammum), the removal of physical impurities, and rulings concerning menstruation, irregular bleeding (istihada), and postnatal bleeding .
- Prayer (al-Salah): Prescribed prayer times, calculation of time via ijtihad, prohibited prayer times, the call to prayer (adhan), the full description and integrated performance of prayer (sifat al-salah), and the recommended acts during bowing (ruku'), standing (i'tidal), and prostration (sujud) .
Commentaries
Because of its concise legal formulations, the text received widespread scholarly engagement through commentaries:
- al-Minhaj al-Qawim fi Sharh Masa'il al-Ta'lim by Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (909–973 AH), which he composed in response to requests for a concise commentary explaining the text's expressions and legal branches .
- Bushra al-Karim bi-Sharh Masa'il al-Ta'lim by Sa'id ibn Muhammad Ba'ashin, who initially wrote an extensive commentary and subsequently abridged it by roughly half, incorporating comparative legal positions between Ibn Hajar al-Haytami and Muhammad al-Ramli .
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