Maraqi al-Falah Sharh Nur al-Idah
- Author died
- 1069 AH
- Editions
- al-Maktabah al-‘Aṣrīyah
Maraqi al-Falah Sharh Nur al-Idah (full title: Maraqi al-Falah bi-Imdad al-Fattah Sharh Nur al-Idah wa-Najat al-Arwah) is a commentary on Hanafi jurisprudence covering ritual worship (ibadat), composed by the Egyptian jurist Abu al-Ikhlas Hasan ibn Ammar al-Shurunbulali (d. 1069 AH / 1659 CE) .
Composition and Context
Al-Shurunbulali originally composed the foundational primer, Nur al-Idah wa-Najat al-Arwah, covering legal topics up to the chapter of spiritual retreat (i'tikaf), finishing it on Friday, 24 Jumada al-Ula 1032 AH . He subsequently wrote an expansive commentary on it titled Imdad al-Fattah Sharh Nur al-Idah wa-Najat al-Arwah, which he commenced in mid-Rabi' al-Awwal 1045 AH, concluded its initial draft at the end of Rajab 1045 AH, and finished transcribing into its final fair copy in mid-Rabi' al-Awwal 1046 AH .
At the request of contemporary scholars seeking an accessible version for beginners, al-Shurunbulali abridged his larger work into a concise commentary, Maraqi al-Falah . He began writing this condensed commentary in late Jumada al-Ukhra 1054 AH and completed it in early Rajab 1054 AH . To ensure full coverage of the five pillars of worship, he later appended concise treatises covering the chapters of zakat and hajj .
Content and Method
The work expounds the legal rulings pertaining to the acts of worship according to the Hanafi school, specifically ritual purification (taharah), prayer (salah), fasting (sawm), zakat, and hajj . In his preface, the author describes the work as a compact volume outlining valid performance and correcting potential invalidations across these rites, substantiating the legal rulings with evidential support drawn from the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus (ijma'), presented in lucid prose to ease memorization and comprehension for students .
Reception and Supercommentaries
Maraqi al-Falah was adopted as a primary curriculum text for novice students entering the study of Hanafi fiqh at al-Azhar, who read it prior to more advanced legal manuals .
The work generated several scholarly glosses and related commentaries:
- The most prominent supercommentary (hashiyah) on the text was authored by Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Tahtawi (d. 1231 AH) , who drew upon earlier annotations by Abd al-Rahman Khalwat, al-Shurunbulali's extensive commentary Imdad al-Fattah, and Muhammad Abu al-Su'ud .
- Uthman ibn Ya'qub al-Kamakhi (d. 1171 AH) authored a commentary on the base text titled Sullam al-Falah Sharh Nur al-Idah wa-Najat al-Arwah .
- The Maliki scholar Ali ibn Ahmad al-Sa'idi al-Adawi (d. 1189 AH) authored a specific commentary on the preface (khutba) of al-Shurunbulali's larger work, Imdad al-Fattah .
The text was printed in Cairo at several early presses, including al-Wahbiyya Press in 1276 AH and 1281 AH, al-Khayriyya Press in 1303 AH, al-Maymaniyya Press in 1305 AH, and al-Jamaliyya Press in 1329 AH, frequently published alongside the base text Nur al-Idah or accompanied by al-Tahtawi's supercommentary .
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