al-Nahr al-Fa'iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqa'iq
- Author died
- 1005 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah
al-Nahr al-Fa'iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqa'iq (The Exceeding River: Commentary on the Treasure of Fine Subtleties) is a commentary on Hafiz al-Din al-Nasafi's (d. 710 AH / 1310 CE) legal compendium Kanz al-Daqa'iq, authored by the Egyptian Hanafi jurist Siraj al-Din Umar ibn Ibrahim ibn Nujaym (d. 1005 AH / 1596 CE) .
Composition and Relation to al-Bahr al-Ra'iq
The author studied under his older brother, Zayn al-Din ibn Nujaym (d. 970 AH / 1563 CE), who had authored an extensive commentary on the same base text entitled al-Bahr al-Ra'iq (The Pure Ocean) . Siraj al-Din intended al-Nahr al-Fa'iq to rival and emulate his brother's commentary, while aiming to surpass it in grammatical refinement, stylistic phrasing, and systematic editing .
In his preface, the author notes that he sought to facilitate access to the legal issues embedded in Kanz al-Daqa'iq by incorporating the essential opinions of early authorities (al-mutaqaddimun) and the conclusions of later scholars (al-muta'akhkhirun), while critically addressing oversights made by earlier commentators—specifically mentioning his brother, whom he styled as his teacher and "the seal of later scholars" . Throughout the work, he frequently scrutinizes and disputes positions adopted in al-Bahr al-Ra'iq, as in his critique of his brother's wording in the chapter of dry ablution (al-tayammum) .
Structure and Scope
The work is arranged as an intertwined commentary (sharh mamzuj), directly weaving al-Nasafi's original text into the explanatory prose . The author begins directly with the chapter on purification (Kitab al-Tahara), bypassing the original preface of Kanz al-Daqa'iq .
The commentary was left incomplete due to the author's death; it breaks off in the Book of Judiciary (Kitab al-Qada'), specifically within the section governing imprisonment (fasl al-habs) .
Reception
al-Nahr al-Fa'iq became a key reference in late Hanafi jurisprudence. It was frequently cited by later jurists, including al-Haskafi in al-Durr al-Mukhtar and Ibn Abidin . In his supercommentary on al-Bahr al-Ra'iq, titled Minhat al-Khaliq, Ibn Abidin regularly drew upon Siraj al-Din's discussions and objections in al-Nahr al-Fa'iq to evaluate and weigh the conclusions presented by Zayn al-Din ibn Nujaym . The book has been edited in modern times by Ahmad 'Izzu 'Inaya and published in Beirut .
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