al-Tamhid - Sharh Mukhtasar al-Usul min Ilm al-Usul
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- al-Maktaba al-Shāmila
al-Tamhid: Sharh Mukhtasar al-Usul min ‘Ilm al-Usul (The Facilitation: Commentary on the Abridgment of the Principles of Jurisprudence) is a contemporary pedagogical commentary on Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh) by Abu al-Mundhir Mahmud ibn Muhammad ibn Mustafa al-Minyawi. The work explains an abridgment of the foundational treatise al-Usul min ‘Ilm al-Usul by Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen.
Background and Purpose
Al-Minyawi composed the book in response to requests from students to present an accessible explanation of Ibn ‘Uthaymeen's primer designed for an intensive two-day course. Intended primarily for beginners in legal theory, it was formulated as a simplified precursor to his subsequent work al-Mu‘tasar, as well as a condensed version of his more extensive commentary, al-Sharh al-Kabir li-Mukhtasar al-Usul.
Method and Content
The author arranges the commentary by placing passages of Ibn ‘Uthaymeen's original text within parentheses, introducing them with the formula "the Shaykh said" (qala al-shaykh), followed directly by his own explanation.
Throughout the text, al-Minyawi frequently introduces logical caveats and additional conditions (quyud) to refine Ibn ‘Uthaymeen's definitions (hudud). He notes that these additions are not intended as a critique of Ibn ‘Uthaymeen—who deliberately favored accessible wording over rigid logical constraints and held reservations regarding formal logic—but rather as a pedagogical exercise to train students in the technical formulation of definitions. For detailed attributions and source references, al-Minyawi refers readers to his comprehensive work al-Sharh al-Kabir rather than repeating exhaustive citations within this abridged manual.
Publication
The work was issued in its first edition in 1432 AH (2011 CE) through al-Maktaba al-Shamila.
Answer updated