Ghayat al-Wusul fi Sharh Lubb al-Usul
- Author died
- 926 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub al-Arabiyya al-Kubra (Owners: Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi and his two brothers)
Ghayat al-Wusul fi Sharh Lubb al-Usul (The Ultimate Attainment in Commenting on the Core of Principles) is a classical manual of Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh) by the Egyptian Shafi'i scholar and judge Zakariyya al-Ansari (d. 926 AH / 1520 CE) . The work is the author's own commentary on his legal theory primer, Lubb al-Usul, which he completed in 902 AH .
Background and Purpose
The base text, Lubb al-Usul, was composed by al-Ansari as an abridgment of Taj al-Din al-Subki's foundational legal theory compendium, Jam' al-Jawami' (The Collection of Collections) . In his preface to Ghayat al-Wusul, al-Ansari states that he wrote the commentary to elucidate the underlying truths and subtleties of Lubb al-Usul, simplify its dense phraseology, and unpack its technical meanings .
Method and Sources
In structuring his explanations, al-Ansari noted that he largely followed the phrasing and formulations of his teacher, Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli, owing to the clarity and elegance of al-Mahalli's style and to seek the blessing of his scholarship .
Reception and Print History
Ghayat al-Wusul became a standard teaching text and reference work in late Shafi'i legal theory, attracting subsequent marginal glosses and supercommentaries . Among the glosses written on it are the hashiya of Muhammad al-Jawhari and Nayl al-Ma'mul by Muhammad Mahfuz al-Tarmasi .
The text was printed in Cairo in 1310 AH at Matba'at Misr, featuring al-Jawhari's glosses at the bottom of the pages and the text of Lubb al-Usul in the margins . Later Cairo editions were published in 1330 AH and issued in multiple printings by Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi, including an edition in 1360 AH (1941 CE) .
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