Mukhtasar al-Insaf wa al-Sharh al-Kabir (Matbu within Majmuat Muallafat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, al-Juz al-Thani)
- Author died
- 1206 AH
- Editions
- Maṭābiʿ al-Riyāḍ
Mukhtasar al-Insaf wa al-Sharh al-Kabir (Abridgment of al-Insaf and al-Sharh al-Kabir) is a Hanbali legal compendium by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1115–1206 AH / 1703–1792 CE) that summarizes and combines two major commentaries on al-Muqni' by Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudamah (541–620 AH) . It is the largest among the author's specialized works in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) .
Sources and Composition
The work synthesizes two comprehensive references in Hanbali jurisprudence: al-Sharh al-Kabir by Shams al-Din Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Umar (Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi, 597–682 AH) and al-Insaf fi Ma'rifat al-Rajih min al-Khilaf by Ala al-Din Ali ibn Sulayman al-Mardawi (817–885 AH) . Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab merged abridgments of both texts into a single work because both serve as commentaries on al-Muqni', yet they serve complementary functions: al-Sharh al-Kabir follows the comparative method of al-Mughni by citing the positions and proofs of the Companions, the Successors, and other legal authorities, whereas al-Insaf restricts itself to the internal school positions within the Hanbali madhhab to determine the preponderant and authoritative rulings .
Method and Structure
The book is arranged according to standard chapters of jurisprudence, beginning with the book of purification (Kitab al-Taharah) . Throughout the compilation, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab adopted a consistent bipartite arrangement for every section: he began each chapter with an abridged summary of the material and legal discussions from al-Sharh al-Kabir, and concluded the chapter with a summary of the additional notes, distinctions, and rectifications (istidrak) drawn from al-Insaf . The text lacks an authorial introduction or prologue (khutbat al-kitab) setting out his explicit motives or terminology .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscripts of the text include a copy held in the Saudi Library in Riyadh (no. 465/86), spanning 312 medium-sized pages, inscribed at the beginning with a note describing its chapter structure as drawn from al-Sharh al-Kabir and al-Insaf . Another early manuscript, contemporaneous with the generation of the author's sons, was transcribed by Sa'd ibn Muhammad and completed on Tuesday, 23 Jumada al-Ukhra 1224 AH .
The book was first printed in Cairo at al-Matba'a al-Salafiyya without a date, in an edition of 512 pages financed by Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Latif and his associates, with an introduction by Muhibb al-Din al-Khatib . It was subsequently edited by Abd al-Aziz ibn Zayd al-Rumi, Salih ibn Muhammad al-Hasan, Muhammad Baltaji, and Sayyid Hijab, and published in Riyadh by Matabi' al-Riyadh as the second volume (jurisprudence section, 792 pages) within the compendium Majmu'at Mu'allafat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, sponsored by Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University .
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