al-Tahdhib fi al-fiqh al-Shafii - Kitab al-Siyar minhu
- Author died
- 516 AH
- Editions
- al-Jāmi‘ah al-Islāmīyah bi-al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah
Kitab al-Siyar from al-Tahdhib fi al-Fiqh al-Shafi‘i is the section on the laws of jihad, warfare, and international relations from the comprehensive Shafi'i legal manual composed by the Persian traditionist and jurist Abu Muhammad al-Baghawi (d. 516 AH / 1122 CE) .
Background and Scope
The parent work, al-Tahdhib fi Fiqh al-Imam al-Shafi‘i, is regarded as an authoritative reference in Shafi‘i jurisprudence, extensively cited and relied upon by later jurists of the school for its legal verification and preference (tarjih) . Its section on siyar (Kitab al-Siyar) addresses the legal rulings governing military expeditions, jihad, relations with non-Muslims, and statecraft according to the Shafi‘i school .
Method and Structure
In al-Tahdhib and its Kitab al-Siyar, al-Baghawi structured and treated legal material according to a consistent methodology:
- Organization: He divided the work into books (kutub), further subdivided into chapters (abwab) and thematic sections (fusul), typically providing descriptive titles for each .
- Textual Evidence: He generally commenced chapters and sections by citing foundational Quranic verses and Prophetic hadiths, providing brief lexical elucidations for obscure vocabulary (gharib) when required .
- Shafi‘i School Opinions: He explained each legal topic comprehensively within Shafi‘i doctrine, discussing internal divergent opinions (aqwal) and doctrinal transmissions (wujuh), occasionally naming specific authorities . Where multiple doctrinal routes (turuq) or statements existed, he frequently restricted the discussion to one or favored a specific transmission .
- Juristic Preference: He exercised legal weighting (tarjih) among competing positions using phrases such as "and it is the most correct" (wa-huwa al-asahh) and "in my view" (wa-‘indi) .
- Comparative Law: He noted divergences between Shafi‘i jurisprudence and other schools—particularly the Hanafi madhhab—and cited the stances of early jurists such as Sufyan al-Thawri, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, and Ibrahim al-Nakha'i .
Academic Study and Publication
This specific section of al-Tahdhib was edited and studied by Rawiyah bint Ahmad al-Zahhar, associate professor at the College of Education in Medina, and published through the journal of the Islamic University of Madinah . The editorial apparatus collated manuscript copies, vocalized and referenced Quranic passages, and verified and referenced the hadiths and historical narrations . The complete text of al-Tahdhib fi Fiqh al-Imam al-Shafi‘i has also been published in full under the editorship of ‘Adil Ahmad ‘Abd al-Mawjud and ‘Ali Muhammad Mu‘awwad .
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