al-Riwayatayn wal-Wajhayn - al-Masail al-Fiqhiyya Minhu

al-Riwayatayn wal-Wajhayn: al-Masa'il al-Fiqhiyya Minhu is the primary jurisprudence section of Kitab al-Riwayatayn wal-Wajhayn, a foundational Hanbali legal treatise authored by al-Qadi Abu Ya'la Ibn al-Farra (380–458 AH / 990–1066 CE) al-Riwayatayn wal-Wajhayn…+1. The work gathers, analyzes, and weighs conflicting transmissions (riwayat) reported from Ahmad ibn Hanbal alongside differing interpretive positions (wujuh) generated by scholars of the school al-Riwayatayn wa al-Wajha…+1.

Purpose and Scope

The broader Kitab al-Riwayatayn wal-Wajhayn was composed to address substantive disagreements within the Hanbali school by compiling approximately one thousand disputed issues al-Riwayatayn wa al-Wajha…+1. Abu Ya'la states in his introduction that his objective was to document the questions wherein multiple reports emerged from Ahmad ibn Hanbal, explain their context and sources, distinguish between sound and weak narrations, provide the rational or textual rationale behind each variant, and incorporate the disputes among Hanbali jurists while identifying the proponents of each view and clarifying the preferred position (al-rajih) al-Madhhab al-Hanbali Dir….

While the full manuscript spans three distinct disciplines—jurisprudence (fiqh), legal theory (usul al-fiqh), and theology (usul al-diyanat)—the jurisprudence portion forms the vast majority of the text, encompassing 466 pages in the manuscript al-Riwayatayn wa al-Wajha…+1.

Method and Contents

For each legal issue, Abu Ya'la presents two or more transmissions from Ahmad ibn Hanbal or distinct variant opinions formulated by later Hanbali authorities al-Riwayatayn wa al-Wajha…+1. He supports each transmission or opinion with one or more proofs drawn from the Quran, the Sunnah, the consensus or statements of the Companions and Successors, or by employing legal reasoning such as analogy (qiyas) and juristic rationale (ta'lil) al-Riwayatayn wa al-Wajha…. He regularly names the early companions of the school who adhered to each report or derivation and articulates what he considers to be the authoritative ruling of the madhhab al-Riwayatayn wa al-Wajha…+1.

Related Works and Editions

Kitab al-Riwayatayn wal-Wajhayn became a standard reference for internal Hanbali legal preference and was engaged by successive scholars of the school:

• Abu al-Wafa Ibn Aqil (432–513 AH) abridged the work into a single concise volume titled al-Ishara Mujam al-Kutub+1.
• Abu Ya'la's son, Abu al-Husayn Muhammad ibn Abi Ya'la (d. 526 AH), composed a continuation and completion of his father's work titled al-Tamam Mujam al-Kutub+1.

The jurisprudence section (al-Masa'il al-Fiqhiyya) was prepared as a doctoral dissertation and edited by Dr. Abd al-Karim ibn Muhammad al-Lahim, who published it in three volumes through Maktabat al-Ma'arif in Riyadh in 1405 AH / 1985 CE alongside the legal theory section in a separate volume al-Riwayatayn wa al-Wajha…+1.