Tahqiq al-Rujhan bi-Sawm Yawm al-Shakk min Ramadan
- Author died
- 1033 AH
- Editions
- Maṭbaʿat Ibn Taymiyyah
Tahqiq al-Rujhan bi-Sawm Yawm al-Shakk min Ramadan (Verifying Preponderance Regarding Fasting the Day of Doubt from Ramadan) is a legal treatise by the Hanbali jurist Mari ibn Yusuf al-Karmi (d. 1033 AH / 1624 CE) addressing the rulings on fasting the "Day of Doubt" (Yawm al-Shakk) at the beginning of Ramadan .
Background and Purpose
Al-Karmi authored the treatise after observing recurring confusion among the public each year regarding how to conduct their fast on the Day of Doubt and which legal school (madhhab) to follow . To resolve these uncertainties, he sought to set out the positions and proofs of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali) in an equitable manner . He also defended the Hanbali stance regarding precautionary fasting when the sky is obscured on the thirtieth night of Sha'ban, arguing that this practice is rooted in early precedent and religious precaution (ihtiyat) .
Structure and Content
The treatise is organized into an introduction, four main chapters, and a conclusion :
- Introduction: Defines doubt (shakk) as the state where knowledge and ignorance are equal, explaining how it occurs when the crescent moon is obscured by clouds or dust on the twenty-ninth of Sha'ban . It outlines the scenarios in which fasting on that day becomes permissible, prohibited, disliked, or recommended, alongside the validity of different intentions (niyyah) .
- Chapter One: Presents the rulings of the four Sunni schools regarding fasting the Day of Doubt, detailing the various scenarios and intentions recognized by the Hanafis, followed by the positions of the Malikis, Shafi'is, and Hanbalis .
- Chapter Two: Records narrations from the Companions who fasted on that day or favored doing so—including Umar ibn al-Khattab, Abd Allah ibn Umar, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Anas ibn Malik, Abu Hurayrah, Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, Amr ibn al-As, Aisha, and Asma bint Abi Bakr—as well as prominent Successors, explaining the rationale of religious precaution .
- Chapter Three: Sets out the textual proofs of the Hanbalis who deem fasting obligatory on that day when the crescent is obscured, citing hadiths with their chains of transmission, explaining their legal deductions, and responding to anticipated objections .
- Chapter Four: Examines the arguments of scholars who ruled that fasting on that day is not obligatory or is prohibited, offering a point-by-point critique and refutation of those proofs .
Attribution and Title Variants
The attribution of the work to Mari al-Karmi is documented across biographical and bibliographical dictionaries, including al-Muhibbi's Khulasat al-Athar, al-Ghazzi's al-Na't al-Akmal, and Isma'il Basha al-Babani's Idah al-Maknun and Hadiyyat al-'Arifin . While the author and most sources give the title as Tahqiq al-Rujhan bi-Sawm Yawm al-Shakk min Ramadan, Ibn Humayd listed it in al-Suhub al-Wabilah under the variant title Tahqiq al-Rujhan fi Sawm Yawm al-Ghaym min Ramadan .
Manuscripts and Publication
A manuscript copy of the work is preserved at the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya) within the Taymuriyya collection . The text was edited and annotated by Sa'd Abd al-Hamid and published by Dar al-Sahabah li-l-Turath in Egypt (first edition, 1412 AH / 1991–1992 CE) .
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