al-Rahiq al-Makhtum Sharh Qalaid al-Manzum
- Author died
- 1252 AH
- Editions
- T Istanbul
al-Rahiq al-Makhtum Sharh Qalaid al-Manzum (Arabic: الرحيق المختوم شرح قلائد المنظوم) is a commentary on Islamic inheritance law (ilm al-fara'id) written by the Hanafi jurist Ibn Abidin (1198–1252 AH / 1784–1836 CE) .
Background and Purpose
The base text of the commentary is Qala'id al-Manzum, a poetic versification of the inheritance section of Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Halabi's (d. 956 AH / 1549 CE) legal manual Multaqa al-Abhur . The poem was composed by the Damascene Hanafi scholar and preacher Abd al-Rahman ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmad, known as Ibn Abd al-Razzaq (b. 1075 AH / 1664–1665 CE), who wrote his own extensive commentary on it entitled Nathr La'ali al-Mafhum .
Ibn Abidin explains in his introduction that although Ibn Abd al-Razzaq's poem was comprehensive and eloquently phrased, the author's own commentary had expanded excessively with lengthy inquiries, objections, and counterarguments, thereby straying beyond the core pedagogical aim of the exposition . Consequently, Ibn Abidin composed al-Rahiq al-Makhtum as a condensed commentary designed to abridge the material into brief expressions while preserving its essential legal benefits .
Structure and Legal Method
The work systematically explains the versified rules of estate division according to the Hanafi school . Ibn Abidin combines textual commentary on the poetic lines with linguistic, theological, and juridical clarifications .
In the introductory portions, the author examines the technical definitions of inheritance terms (fara'id and mirath), explains introductory rhetorical devices, and evaluates the hadith designating inheritance law as "half of knowledge," citing various scholarly interpretations of why it holds that status . Throughout the legal analysis, Ibn Abidin highlights school-specific doctrines, such as the position of Abu Hanifa prioritizing the paternal grandfather over full siblings in estate division, contrasting it with the opposing stance held by Abu Yusuf, Muhammad al-Shaybani, and al-Shafi'i .
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