Taqwim al-Nazar fi Masa'il Khilafiya Dhi'a
- Author died
- 592 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Rushd
Taqwim al-Nazar fi Masa'il Khilafiya Dhi'a (Rectifying Juristic Examination in Widespread Disputed Issues) is a work on comparative Islamic jurisprudence (ʿilm al-khilāf) authored by the Baghdad-born Shafi'i jurist, mathematician, and astronomer Ibn al-Dahhan (d. 592 AH / 1196 CE; also reported as 590 AH / 1194 CE) . The book compares the legal rulings and evidences across the four major Sunni schools of law, featuring a systematic, tabular structure designed to facilitate legal inquiry .
Background and Structure
The book is also cited under titles such as Taqwim al-Nazar fi Masa'il Khilafiya Dhi'a wa-Nubadh Madhhabiyya Nafi'a and Taqwim al-Nazar fi Masa'il al-Khilaf . Drawing on his mathematical and astronomical background, Ibn al-Dahhan arranged the treatise in structured tables (majdwal), adapting the formatting conventions of medical manuals such as Ibn Butlan's Taqwim al-Sihha (Rectification of Health) .
The work opens with introductory principles (muqaddimāt) intended to equip the reader with foundational tools for legal analysis . Ibn al-Dahhan explicitly prioritized the Shafi'i position and its proofs, citing the prophetic narration instructing the advancement of Quraysh, whose lineage al-Shafi'i shared . At the conclusion of the work, he appended a historical table documenting the death dates of prominent Companions, Imams, jurists, and leading authorities of the religious sciences .
Method
In presenting individual disputed legal issues (masāʾil), the author adheres to a consistent comparative rubric:
- The primary positions: Presenting the ruling of the Shafi'i school (al-madhhab) alongside the opposing position held by the Hanafi school (ʿindahum) .
- Textual evidence (al-dalīl min al-manqūl): Outlining the scriptural citations from the Quran and hadith relied upon by both sides (lanā / lahum) .
- Rational and analogical arguments (al-dalīl min al-maʿqūl): Detailing the legal reasoning, conceptual definitions, and analogies advanced by each camp .
- The other two schools: Recording the rulings of Malik ibn Anas and Ahmad ibn Hanbal on the issue .
- The elaboration (al-takmila): Providing a critical follow-up section that addresses objections, clarifies underlying legal maxims, and refutes counterarguments .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscripts of the work are preserved in several international libraries, including the Topkapı Palace Library in Istanbul (Ahmet III MS 1225, copied in 666 AH), the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris (MS 789 Arabe), and the National and University Library of Strasbourg (MS 4249) .
The text was edited in an academic study by Zakariyya al-Misri at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca . It was subsequently edited by Salih ibn Nasir al-Khuzaym and published by Maktabat al-Rushd in Riyadh (1422 AH / 2001 CE), published alongside Ibn al-Dahhan's treatise on inheritance shares, al-Munir fi al-fara'id .
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