Sharh Zarruq ala Matn al-Risala
- Author died
- 899 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah
Sharh Zarruq ala Matn al-Risala is a commentary on the foundational Maliki legal manual al-Risala of Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani (d. 386 AH), authored by the Moroccan Maliki jurist and Sufi scholar Ahmad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa al-Burnusi al-Fasi, known as Zarruq (846–899 AH / 1442–1493 CE) . It is regarded as one of Zarruq's most important works in jurisprudence .
Context and Sources
Zarruq authored two distinct commentaries on Ibn Abi Zayd's al-Risala . In the introduction to the work, he observes that al-Risala had served as a widely accepted introductory manual for approximately five centuries, studied and commented upon continuously without facing rejection from recognized scholars . When explaining the doctrinal section (aqida) placed at the opening of al-Risala, Zarruq relied primarily on the writings of the Algerian scholar Nasir al-Din al-Mashdhali, who served as a primary reference for commentators on that chapter .
Structure and Content
The commentary follows the organization of al-Risala, explicating Ibn Abi Zayd's text from its opening doctrinal treatise through its detailed chapters on legal rulings, acts of worship, transactions, and ethical conduct . Zarruq addresses linguistic meanings, legal definitions, foundational maxims, and canonical positions within the Maliki school, addressing both introductory students and advanced practitioners .
Reception and Publication
The commentary ranks among the standard references on al-Risala in the Maliki tradition . Multiple manuscript copies are preserved in historical libraries across the Islamic world, including the Qarawiyyin Library in Fes, the Ibn Yusuf Library in Marrakesh, the National Library of Tunisia, the Library of the Holy Mosque in Mecca, the Alexandria Municipal Library, and the Yeni Cami Library in Istanbul .
The work was printed in Cairo at al-Matba'a al-Jamaliyya in 1332 AH in two volumes published together with the commentary of Qasim ibn Isa ibn Naji al-Tanukhi (d. 837 AH), and this combined edition was later reprinted in Beirut by Dar al-Fikr in 1402 AH (1982 CE) . It was also published in Beirut by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya in 1427 AH (2006 CE), edited by Ahmad Farid al-Mazyadi .
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