Hilyat al-Fuqaha
- Author died
- 395 AH
- Editions
- al-Sharikah al-Muttahidah lil-Tawzi'
Hilyat al-Fuqaha (The Ornament of Jurists) is a legal-linguistic lexicon by the philologist and lexicographer Ibn Faris (d. 395 AH / 1004 CE), dedicated to clarifying the legal vocabulary and obscure terminology (gharib al-alfaz) of al-Shafi'i preserved in the Mukhtasar of al-Muzani.
Purpose and Content
Ibn Faris composed the work out of the conviction that Arabic philology is an indispensable tool for the jurist. In writing a specialized lexicon on Shafi'i legal phrasing, he followed the path pioneered by Abu Mansur al-Azhari (d. 370 AH) in al-Zahir fi Gharib Alfaz al-Shafi'i, though the text of Hilyat al-Fuqaha contains no direct indication that Ibn Faris had seen al-Azhari's work.
The book begins with an introductory theoretical section addressing definitions and legal theory principles needed by jurists, opening with a chapter on the sources of legal knowledge (Bab al-qawl fi ma'khadh al-'ilm). Ibn Faris then proceeds systematically through the terms of al-Muzani's Mukhtasar, arranged according to the standard thematic sequence of jurisprudence (fiqh). In his explanations, he combines lexical etymology with the elucidation of al-Shafi'i's intended technical meanings, presenting linguistic justifications for al-Shafi'i's phrasing and illustrating his mastery of Arabic.
Transmission and Manuscripts
The book was documented in classical bibliographical and biographical works, including those of Ibn Khayr al-Ishbili, Yaqut al-Hamawi, Ibn Khallikan, al-Yafi'i, Ibn al-'Imad al-Hanbali, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, and Hajji Khalifa. Ibn Khayr recorded his transmission chain for the text back to Ibn Faris through Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi from Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Tarkhan from Abu al-Qasim Sa'd ibn Ali al-Zanjani, who received it from Qadi Abu Abd Allah al-Dibaji and Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Razi al-Ghadban from the author.
The work survived in a unique manuscript held at the Ismail Saib Library at Ankara University (MS 1713), comprising 54 folios transcribed in 589 AH in Naskhi script at 15 lines per page.
Modern Editions
Hilyat al-Fuqaha has been published in modern scholarly editions, notably:
- Edited by Muhammad Mahfuz, published by Dar al-Gharb al-Islami in Beirut (1982).
- Edited by Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Turki, published by al-Sharika al-Muttahida lil-Tawzi' in Beirut (1403 AH / 1983 CE).
Answer updated