Takmilat Fath al-Qadir Nataij al-Afkar fi Kashf al-Rumuz wal-Asrar
- Author died
- 988 AH
- Editions
- Shirkat Maktabat wa-Matba'at Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi wa-Awladih bi-Misr
Takmilat Fath al-Qadir: Nata'ij al-Afkar fi Kashf al-Rumuz wal-Asrar (The Completion of Fath al-Qadir: The Fruits of Thoughts in Unveiling Symbols and Secrets) is a classical Hanafi legal treatise by the Ottoman jurist and mufti Qadi Zada (d. 988 AH / 1580 CE), written to complete the unfinished commentary Fath al-Qadir on Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani's al-Hidayah.
Background and Scope
The prominent Hanafi scholar Ibn al-Humam (d. 861 AH / 1457 CE) commenced Fath al-Qadir as an extensive commentary on al-Hidayah in 829 AH, but died before completing it, having ceased writing during the book of agency (Kitab al-Wikalah) at the passage discussing contracts concluded by agents. Qadi Zada—whose full name appears in sources as Shams al-Din Ahmad ibn Mahmud al-Adirnawi or Ahmad ibn Qawdar—undertook the task of completing the work from the beginning of Kitab al-Wikalah through to the final book of al-Hidayah.
Composition and Method
In the epilogue of the work, Qadi Zada noted that he authored the commentary amid divided attention, accumulated burdens, and distress, titling it Nata'ij al-Afkar fi Kashf al-Rumuz wal-Asrar because it contained three thousand juridical analyses and determinations (tasarrufat) that he stated had not been previously recorded by earlier authorities. While providing substantive legal commentary on the substantive rulings (furu') and textual nuances of al-Hidayah, scholars note that Qadi Zada's exposition is considerably less detailed and exhaustive than Ibn al-Humam's voluminous treatment in the earlier portion of Fath al-Qadir.
Publication History
The work has consistently been published as the concluding volumes of Fath al-Qadir, typically including both Ibn al-Humam's initial draft on the opening of Kitab al-Wikalah and Qadi Zada's full commentary on it. Notable editions include:
- A lithograph edition published in Lucknow in 1292 AH in four volumes, where Qadi Zada's completion begins on page 369 of the third volume.
- The Bulaq press edition in Cairo (1315–1316 AH) in eight volumes, issued alongside marginal commentaries such as al-Babarti's al-Inayah and al-Kirlani's al-Kifayah.
- Subsequent Egyptian editions, including the al-Matba'ah al-Maymaniyyah edition in 1319 AH and the Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi edition completed in 1392 AH (1972 CE).
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