al-Zubad fi al-Fiqh al-Shafii
- Author died
- 844 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Ma'rifah
al-Zubad fi al-Fiqh al-Shafii (Arabic: الزبد في الفقه الشافعي), also titled Safwat al-Zubad, is a didactic versification of Shafi'i fiqh authored by the Palestinian jurist and scholar Ibn Raslan (d. 844 AH / 1440 CE) . Composed in roughly one thousand poetic lines, the text presents the core legal rulings of the Shafi'i school alongside introductory theological tenets and ethical counsel .
Structure and Contents
The poem opens with an introduction covering fundamental creed and spiritual obligations, emphasizing that the initial obligation incumbent upon a human being is knowing God with certainty, followed by the verbal utterance of the two testimonies of faith for those who are capable . In these opening verses, Ibn Raslan underscores the necessity of putting sacred knowledge into practice, stating that deeds performed without proper religious knowledge are rejected and that knowledgeable individuals who fail to act upon their knowledge face severe recompense .
Following the theological preamble, the didactic work traverses the standard branches of Islamic jurisprudence according to the Shafi'i madhhab, detailing ritual practices, transactions, and legal duties such as funeral rites (jana'iz) and the rules, thresholds (nisab), and categories of the alms levy (zakat) . Ibn Raslan designed the poem to be concise and accessible so that beginners could easily memorize its verses while advanced seekers could benefit from its structured compendium of rulings .
Commentaries and Reception
Safwat al-Zubad attained widespread reception within the Shafi'i pedagogical tradition and was characterized by later authorities—such as Shams al-Din al-Ramli—as one of the finest and most comprehensive succinct texts composed on Shafi'i jurisprudence relative to its size . The text generated numerous scholarly commentaries and derivative works across subsequent centuries, including:
- Sharh al-Zubad fima 'alayhi al-Mu'tamad, written by Ibn Raslan himself, who also commented on its conclusion .
- Fath al-Rahman bi-Sharh Zubad Ibn Raslan, authored by Ahmad ibn Ahmad al-Ramli (d. 957 AH) .
- Mawahib al-Samad fi Hall Alfaz al-Zubad, by Ahmad ibn Hijazi al-Fashni (d. 978 AH) .
- Ghayat al-Bayan fi Sharh Zubad Ibn Raslan, authored by Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Ramli (d. 1004 AH) .
- Sihwat al-Zubad, an abridgment of a commentary on the work written by Muhammad ibn al-Tahhan .
- Fath al-Mannan Sharh Zubad Ibn Raslan, composed by Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Muhsin al-Hubayshi al-Ibbai (d. 1283 AH) .
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