al-Tadhhib fi Adillat Matn al-Ghaya wa al-Taqrib
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- Editions
- Dār Ibn Kathīr
al-Tadhhib fi Adillat Matn al-Ghaya wa al-Taqrib (The Gilding of the Evidences of Matn al-Ghaya wa al-Taqrib) is a contemporary legal work by the Syrian scholar Mustafa Dib al-Bugha, dedicated to providing the textual evidences for the widely studied Shafi'i legal primer Matn al-Ghaya wa al-Taqrib (also known as Matn Abi Shuja'), authored by Abu Shuja' al-Isfahani .
Background and Purpose
The base text, Matn al-Ghaya wa al-Taqrib, covers all chapters of Shafi'i jurisprudence and the majority of its rulings in a concise format with systematic categorizations . However, because Abu Shuja' presented legal rulings without their underlying textual evidences, al-Bugha sought to furnish the work with scriptural proofs to help students understand the textual basis for each legal ruling . After consulting his teachers in jurisprudence and Islamic law, he undertook the project and completed it on Sunday night, 21 Muharram 1398 AH (1 January 1978 CE) . He titled it al-Tadhhib (gilding) as a metaphor for legal evidences acting like golden threads that weave together and adorn religious rulings .
Methodology and Structure
Al-Bugha adopted a systematic method focused primarily on transmitted evidences (al-adillah al-naqliyyah):
- Source of Proofs: He extracted proofs directly from the Quran, the prophetic Sunnah, and the traditions of the Companions, while rarely relying on rational justifications or analogical deductions (qiyas) .
- Reference to Primary Sources: He documented hadiths directly from primary collections, providing specific hadith or page numbers, and cited surah and verse numbers for Quranic passages .
- Textual Clarification: He explained difficult vocabulary (gharib al-alfaz) within the evidence texts to elucidate how the ruling was derived (wajh al-istidlal) .
- Correction and Additions: Whenever the base text included a weak legal opinion within the Shafi'i school, al-Bugha identified the stronger and more authoritative position (al-asahh wa al-aqwa) based on reliable Shafi'i reference works, occasionally adding supplementary rulings and beneficial legal notes (fawa'id) .
- Layout: The original text of Abu Shuja' was preserved at the top of the pages, while the author's evidences and explanatory notes were placed below as numbered footnotes .
Publication
The work was first published in Damascus by Dar al-Imam al-Bukhari in 1398 AH (1978 CE) . It was subsequently reissued in multiple editions, including printings by Dar Ibn Kathir in Damascus and Beirut .
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