Risala fi al-fiqh al-muyassar
- Author died
- 1439 AH
- Editions
- Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Risala fi al-fiqh al-muyassar (Treatise on Simplified Jurisprudence) is a legal manual on Islamic jurisprudence written by the Saudi scholar Salih al-Sadlan (d. 1439 AH / 2017 CE) .
Background and Context
The work originated when the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da'wah, and Guidance commissioned university professors to prepare instructional curricula in Sharia subjects for the Institute of Imams and Preachers . It was later republished through the ministry's Agency of Publications and Scholarly Research as part of standard instructional training courses for imams, preachers, and mosque personnel .
Structure and Content
The manual opens with an introductory discussion on the significance and standing of Islamic legal heritage (ta'sil makanat al-turath al-fiqhi) . The author outlines the historical development of jurisprudence from the time of the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions, emphasizing that its early emergence arose from the necessity to address newly arising real-world questions . The introduction highlights key characteristics distinguishing Islamic jurisprudence from secular law, including its reliance on divine revelation (the Quran and the Sunnah), its comprehensive regulation of human obligations toward God and society, its integration of moral and spiritual values, and its dual judicial (qada'i) and conscience-based (diyani) rulings .
The main body of the work covers acts of worship ('ibadat), structured across seven primary chapters:
- Ritual Purification (Taharah): Includes linguistic and legal definitions, the classification of waters into purifying (tahur), pure (tahir), and impure (najis), the rulings regarding vessels (aniyah), manners of relieving oneself (istinja' and istijmar), ablution (wudu'), full ritual washing (ghusl), dry ablution (tayammum), and menstruation .
- Prayer (Salah) .
- Almsgiving (Zakah) .
- Fasting (Sawm) .
- Pilgrimage (Hajj) .
- Sacrificial Offerings (Udhiyah and 'Aqiqah) .
- Jihad (Jihad) .
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