Taqwim al-Adilla fi Usul al-Fiqh
- Author died
- 430 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah
Taqwim al-Adilla fi Usul al-Fiqh (The Evaluation of Proofs in Legal Theory) is a foundational treatise on Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) by the Hanafi jurist Abu Zayd al-Dabbusi (d. 430 AH / 1039 CE; also reported d. 432 AH) . Written according to the jurists' method (tariqat al-fuqaha' or tariqat al-ahnaf), the book systematizes legal theory through substantive jurisprudence and comparative legal analysis .
Method and Significance
The work occupies a central position in the classical formulation and codification stage (marhalat al-taq'id) of the Hanafi legal school alongside works by Abu Bakr al-Jassas, Fakhr al-Islam al-Bazdawi, and Shams al-A'imma al-Sarakhsi . In his historical assessment of early legal literature, Ibn Khaldun characterized al-Dabbusi's writing as among the finest produced by the early scholars, highlighting that he treated legal analogy (qiyas) more comprehensively than his predecessors, articulated its essential conditions, and contributed decisively to the refinement and establishment of the rules of usul al-fiqh .
Reception and Critiques
The text served as a primary reference for subsequent theoretical debates across legal schools. It was the principal target of critique by the Shafi'i jurist Abu al-Muzaffar al-Sam'ani (d. 489 AH) in his treatise Qawati' al-Adilla . In the introduction to Qawati' al-Adilla, al-Sam'ani stated his explicit intent to address and dismantle the arguments formulated by al-Dabbusi in Taqwim al-Adilla, while simultaneously transmitting and drawing upon certain discussions from the work .
Manuscripts and Editions
Taqwim al-Adilla is preserved in several manuscript copies bearing minor variations in title:
- A manuscript preserved at the Süleymaniye Library in Istanbul (MS 690), titled Kitab al-Taqwim fi Usul al-Fiqh, transcribed on 9 Sha'ban 717 AH by Qiwam al-Din Amir Katib al-Itqani in 260 folios .
- A manuscript preserved at the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya, MS 255 / 36137), titled Taqwim Usul al-Fiqh wa-Tahdid Adillat al-Shar', copied in 1320 AH by Muhammad Amin al-Danaf al-Ansari from a copy in the Khalidiyya Library in Jerusalem, spanning 956 pages .
- A manuscript dated 974 AH transcribed by Sayyid Muhammad ibn Sayyid 'Abd al-Qadir in 432 folios, titled Taqwim al-Adilla li-Abi Zayd al-Dabbusi fi 'Ilm Usul al-Fiqh .
The work has been published in modern critical editions, including an edition edited by Khalil Muhyi al-Din al-Mays (Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya, Beirut, 1421 AH / 2001 CE) and another edited by 'Abd al-Rahim Ya'qub (Maktabat al-Rushd, Riyadh, 1430 AH / 2009 CE) .
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