Ilam al-Sajid bi-Ahkam al-Masajid
- Author died
- 794 AH
- Editions
- al-Majlis al-Aʿlá lil-Shuʾūn al-Islāmiyyah
Ilam al-Sajid bi-Ahkam al-Masajid (Informing the Worshipper of the Rulings of Mosques) is a legal and historical treatise on the virtues, history, and jurisprudence of mosques by the Shafi'i jurist Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi (745–794 AH / 1345–1392 CE).
Purpose and Structure
Al-Zarkashi compiled the work as a dedicated guide gathering the specific legal rulings (aḥkām) and virtues (faḍāʾil) associated with sacred sanctuaries and general mosques in Islam. He organized the text into an opening preface (fātiḥah) followed by four substantive chapters (abwāb):
- Preface (al-Fātihah): Discusses the linguistic and legal definitions of the term masjid (mosque), its grammatical vocalizations (such as masjid, masjad, and masīd), and the reasoning behind naming the place of worship after prostration (sujūd) rather than bowing (rukūʿ), because prostration is the most noble act of prayer.
- Chapter One: Deals with the Sacred Mosque in Mecca (al-Masjid al-Haram), its boundaries, special virtues, and associated legal rulings.
- Chapter Two: Pertains to the Prophet's Mosque in Medina (al-Masjid al-Nabawi), including the multiplication of prayer rewards within it, its characteristics, and rulings related to its space.
- Chapter Three: Focuses on al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, its history, merits, and legal standing.
- Chapter Four: Covers general mosques and their related jurisprudence, detailing numerous individual issues (masāʾil).
Contents and Legal Methodology
Across the chapters, al-Zarkashi addresses questions of Shafi'i jurisprudence along with comparative legal views, hadith evidence, and historical reports. In the general section, he examines topics such as the permissibility of sitting in a mosque in a state of minor ritual impurity, the prohibition against intoxicated persons entering, the rulings on persons in major ritual impurity (junub) remaining or passing through the mosque, etiquette, cleanliness, maintenance, and the air space (hawāʾ) of the mosque. He also discusses the multiplication of rewards for supererogatory and obligatory prayers offered within the sanctuary mosques versus prayers performed in private homes.
Reception and Editions
The treatise served as a primary reference for later legal works on mosques across different schools. The Hanbali scholar Abu Bakr ibn Zayd al-Jura'i (d. 883 AH) relied extensively on al-Zarkashi's framework and citations when composing his own work, Tuhfat al-Raki' wa-al-Sajid bi-Ahkam al-Masajid, frequently engaging with al-Zarkashi's legal analyses and historical attributions.
In modern times, Ilam al-Sajid was edited and verified by Abu al-Wafa Mustafa al-Maraghi and published under the auspices of Egypt's Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (al-Majlis al-A'la lil-Shu'un al-Islamiyyah).
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