Nayl al-Maarib bi Sharh Dalil al-Talib
- Author died
- 1135 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Falāḥ
Nayl al-Ma'arib bi Sharh Dalil al-Talib (Attaining Objectives through the Commentary on The Seeker's Guide) is a commentary on Mar'i ibn Yusuf al-Karmi's (d. 1033 AH / 1624 CE) Hanbali legal manual Dalil al-Talib, authored by the Damascene jurist Ibn Abi Taghlib (d. 1135 AH / 1723 CE) .
Composition and Context
Ibn Abi Taghlib completed writing the book on Wednesday night, 2 Rabi' al-Thani 1091 AH (1680 CE), when he was around thirty-four years of age . In his introduction, he stated that he wrote the commentary after finding Dalil al-Talib to be among the most beneficial abridgments in the school, intending to unveil its implicit meanings and clarify its concise expressions for himself and for subsequent students . His student Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Saffarini reported that Nayl al-Ma'arib was Ibn Abi Taghlib's only authored work and mentioned that he had reviewed several legal discussions with his teacher, who retracted some positions while retaining others based on the textual sources from which he had transmitted them .
Method and Sources
The work follows a straightforward approach, clarifying the meanings of the base text, adding necessary restrictions, and citing selected evidences without expanding into extensive branch issues . The majority of the commentary is drawn directly from Ibn al-Najjar al-Futuhi's Muntaha al-Iradat and its commentary by Mansur al-Buhuti . Ibn Abi Taghlib also made selective use of other authoritative Hanbali references, including al-Furu', al-Mardaawi's al-Insaf, Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni, al-Muharrar, and al-Buhuti's Kashshaf al-Qina', while incorporating only a few personal legal preferences .
Reception and Supercommentaries
Later Hanbali scholars evaluated the work with mixed assessments. In al-Madkhal ila Madhhab al-Imam Ahmad, Ibn Badran remarked that although the commentary is widely circulated and printed, it lacks full editorial refinement (ghayr muharrar) and does not completely fulfill the purpose of the base text . Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Mani' likewise observed that the text requires further critical verification .
To address its omissions and unrefined rulings, scholars composed supercommentaries on the text:
- A marginal gloss (hashiya) by Mustafa al-Dumani (d. 1200 AH) .
- Taysir al-Matalib ila Fahm wa-Tahqiq Nayl al-Ma'arib by Abd al-Ghani al-Labadi (d. 1319 AH / 1901 CE), which Ibn Mani' commended as an exceptionally useful work that achieved the thorough refinement of Ibn Abi Taghlib's commentary .
Publication History
The book was printed multiple times in Cairo, first at the Bulaq Press (al-Matba'a al-Amiriyya) in 1288 AH (1871 CE), then at al-Matba'a al-Khayriyya in 1324 AH (1906 CE) with al-Buhuti's al-Rawd al-Murbi' in the margin, and later at Matba'at Muhammad 'Ali Sabih in 1374 AH (1955 CE) . In 1403 AH (1983 CE), Maktabat al-Falah in Kuwait published a critical edition in two volumes edited by Muhammad Sulayman al-Ashqar, collated against six manuscripts and earlier prints .
Answer updated