Ghayat al-Muntaha fi Jam al-Iqna wa al-Muntaha
- Author died
- 1033 AH
- Editions
- T Gharas
Ghayat al-Muntaha fi Jam al-Iqna wa al-Muntaha (The Utmost Goal in Combining al-Iqna and al-Muntaha) is a comprehensive manual of Hanbali jurisprudence authored by Mari al-Karmi (d. 1033 AH / 1624 CE) .
Background and Composition
The work synthesizes the two foremost authoritative manuals of late Hanbali jurisprudence: al-Iqna li-Talib al-Intifa by Musa al-Hajjawi (d. 968 AH / 1560 CE) and Muntaha al-Iradat by Ibn al-Najjar al-Futuhi (d. 972 AH / 1564 CE) . Since both earlier texts were dense compilations that served as the primary basis for fatwas and judicial rulings in the school, al-Karmi undertook to combine their positive legal rulings (furu') into a single reference work, while supplying additional points and scholarly distinctions drawn from earlier authorities . In scope, the original manual comprised approximately forty quires (kurrasah) .
Method and Terminology
Al-Karmi organized the material while adhering largely to the phrasing of Muntaha al-Iradat, supplementing it with substantive additions and transmissions from al-Iqna . To indicate differences between the two base texts, he established specific conventions in his preface:
- Divergence from al-Iqna is noted with the phrase khilafan lahu ("contrary to it"), which occurs frequently .
- Divergence from Muntaha al-Iradat is marked with khilafan lil-Muntaha ("contrary to al-Muntaha"), which is rare .
- Disagreement with both texts is designated by khilafan lahuma ("contrary to both"), which is very rare .
- Independent legal assessments and personal deductions (ittijahat) are introduced with the formula wa-yattajih ("and it is directed/evident") when he is certain of the deduction, or wa-yattajih ihtimal ("and it is directed as a possibility") when hesitant .
- An unqualified reference to al-Shaykh denotes Ibn Taymiyya .
Reception
Scholars praised the text for its breadth and for al-Karmi's exercise of legal weighting and rectifications (tashih wa-tarjih) . Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Saffarini (d. 1189 AH) advised students from Najd that whenever al-Iqna and al-Muntaha conflicted, they should rely on the preference stated by the author of al-Ghaya . Abd al-Qadir ibn Badran observed that although al-Karmi adopted the approach of independent juristic reasoning (mujtahidun), the book appeared during a period when rigid imitation (taqlid) predominated among the scholars of the school, which limited its wider circulation compared to earlier works . Contemporary and later scholars composed verses praising the book, including the scholars Ahmad al-Bakri and Ahmad al-Maqqari .
Commentaries and Associated Works
Several Hanbali jurists wrote commentaries, continuations, and studies on Ghayat al-Muntaha:
- Bughyat Uli al-Nuha: An incomplete commentary by Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali (d. 1089 AH), which reached up to the chapter on agency (Bab al-Wikalah) .
- A lost commentary by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Afaliq al-Ahsa'i (d. 1163 AH) .
- A continuation to Ibn al-Imad's commentary by Ismail ibn Abd al-Karim al-Jara'i (d. 1202 AH), extending from agency (Bab al-Wikalah) up to marriage (Kitab al-Nikah) before his death .
- Sharh Zawa'id al-Ghaya: A single-volume explanation of the text's additions by Abd al-Qadir al-Taghlibi (d. 1135 AH) .
- Matalib Uli al-Nuha fi Sharh Ghayat al-Muntaha: The only complete commentary, written by Mustafa al-Ruhaybani (d. 1243 AH; also cited as d. 1240 AH), drawing substantially on Mansur al-Buhuti's commentaries on al-Iqna and al-Muntaha while offering original investigations and corrections .
- Minhat Mawli al-Fath fi Tajrid Zawa'id al-Ghaya wa-al-Sharh: A dedicated study by Hasan ibn Umar al-Shatti (d. 1274 AH), extracting and validating the independent deductions (ittijahat) of al-Karmi and their legal support .
Publication History
The book has been printed in several editions:
- In Damascus by Matba'at Dar al-Salam in three volumes (1378 AH / 1959 CE), edited and annotated by Muhammad Jamil al-Shatti and Muhammad Zuhayr al-Shawish .
- In Beirut through al-Maktab al-Islami (1393 AH) in three volumes, sponsored by Sheikh Ali ibn Abd Allah Al Thani, the ruler of Qatar, upon the recommendation of Muhammad ibn Mani' .
- In Kuwait by Mu'assasat Ghiras (1428 AH / 2007 CE), edited by Yasir Ibrahim al-Mazru'i and Ra'id Yusuf al-Rumi .
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