Masalik al-Jalala fi Ikhtisar al-Manahil al-Zilala
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- Dār Ibn Ḥazm
Masalik al-Jalala fi Ikhtisar al-Manahil al-Zilala (Paths of Majesty in Abridging the Pure Springs) is a contemporary Maliki legal commentary authored by Mukhtar bin al-Arabi al-Jazairi . The work is an abridgment of the author's own extensive legal commentary, al-Manahil al-Zilala fi Sharh wa Adillat al-Risala, which provides an evidence-based exposition of the seminal Maliki primer al-Risala by Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani .
Background and Composition
After publishing his detailed commentary al-Manahil al-Zilala, scholars and students from Morocco and other regions requested a condensed version suitable for classroom study in schools, traditional seminaries (mahādir), and elementary schools (kuttāb) . Al-Jazairi specifically noted the encouragement of the Moroccan scholar Abu 'Amir 'Adil ibn al-Mahjub Raffush al-Marrakushi, prompting him to prepare the summary to serve as a standardized curriculum for universities, institutes, and academic intensive courses . Al-Jazairi completed and reviewed the abridgment on 23 Sha'ban 1436 AH .
The author pointed out that a similar title had been used earlier in Maliki literature by Abu Bakr al-Abhari .
Scope and Method
The work follows the structure of al-Risala, explaining its legal rulings alongside their foundational textual evidences from the Quran and the Sunnah . While condensing the extensive discussions of the parent text, al-Jazairi incorporated additional refinements of specific legal questions and appended unique scholarly benefits, particularly within the section on commercial transactions (Kitab al-Buyu') . For more exhaustive treatment of certain secondary topics—such as the etiquette and interpretation of dreams or extensive discussions on the supplication of qunūt—the author refers readers back to the unabridged al-Manahil al-Zilala .
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