Fadl Rabb al-Bariyya fi Sharh al-Durar al-Bahiyya
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- Fadl Rabb al-Bariyya fi Sharh al-Durar al-Bahiyya
Fadl Rabb al-Bariyya fi Sharh al-Durar al-Bahiyya (فضل رب البرية في شرح الدرر البهية; The Grace of the Lord of Creation in Explaining the Radiant Pearls) is a contemporary commentary on Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) by Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Mukhtar al-Ramli, explaining the legal primer al-Durar al-Bahiyya by Muhammad ibn Ali al-Shawkani (1173–1250 AH / 1759–1834 CE) .
Composition and Publication
The work originated as an audio lecture series delivered by al-Ramli expounding al-Shawkani's legal text . The recorded lessons were transcribed by students, and after observing their reception and utility among seekers of knowledge, al-Ramli decided to prepare the commentary for publication . He reviewed the transcripts personally, amending mistakes and making additions and deletions, observing that spoken explanations differ in nature from written works . In his introduction, dated 25 Muharram 1436 AH (November 2014 CE), al-Ramli acknowledged those who assisted in transcribing and producing the book, specifically naming Abu Abd Allah Ali Baddani al-Jaza'iri, Abu Zayd Riyad al-Jaza'iri, Abu Hudhayfa Mahmud al-Shaykh, Abu Hamza Muhammad Hirz Allah, and his wife Umm al-Hasan bint Bassam al-Sadiq .
Method and Content
The book opens with an introductory section defining jurisprudence linguistically and technically, drawing a distinction between its broad religious definition (encompassing creed, deeds, and ethics) and its narrower definition among the jurists and legal theorists as the knowledge of practical legal rulings derived from detailed proofs . It includes a concise biography of al-Shawkani and discusses the method of the base text, noting that al-Shawkani followed the approach of the jurists of hadith (Ahl al-Hadith) by confining the legal rulings in al-Durar al-Bahiyya to issues supported by authenticated evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah or scholarly consensus, while excluding purely speculative or deductive rulings (al-masa'il al-ijtihadiyya) .
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