Tawdih al-Ahkam min Bulugh al-Maram
- Author died
- 1423 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Asadī
Tawdih al-Ahkam min Bulugh al-Maram (Clarification of Legal Rulings from Bulugh al-Maram) is a multi-volume legal commentary on Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's (d. 852 AH) hadith collection Bulugh al-Maram min Adillat al-Ahkam, authored by the Saudi jurist Abdullah al-Bassam (d. 1423 AH / 2002–2003 CE) .
Background and Structure
Al-Bassam prefaced the commentary with an introductory treatise entitled Al-Ilam fi Usul al-Ahkam, completed on 25 Rabiʿ al-Awwal 1410 AH . In this preface, he argued that extracting legal rulings from the Quran and the Sunnah requires grounding in four foundational disciplines, dedicating a introductory section to each:
- Hadith nomenclature and methodology (mustalah al-hadith), to distinguish acceptable traditions from weak ones .
- Legal theory (usul al-fiqh), to understand proofs and rules of deduction .
- Legal maxims (al-qawaʿid al-fiqhiyyah), to synthesize scattered legal cases under overarching principles .
- Higher objectives of Islamic law (maqasid al-shariʿah), to comprehend the wisdom behind legal rulings in securing benefits and preventing harms .
Method and Content
In his commentary on each hadith, al-Bassam presents the base text of Bulugh al-Maram at the top of the page with distinct vocalized script . His analysis generally proceeds through several systematic steps:
- Takhrij and Verification: Documenting the hadith's sources, evaluating the authenticity of the chain of transmission, and noting variant wordings .
- Linguistic and Geographical Clarifications: Defining unfamiliar terms (gharib al-hadith), grammatical and morphological points, and identifying mentioned geographical locations .
- General Meaning: Summarizing the overall purport of the tradition .
- Extracted Legal Rulings: Listing the derived legal rulings and practical benefits (ma yu'khadh min al-hadith), discussing points of scholarly divergence among the schools of law, and indicating preferred positions (tarjih) .
- Contemporary Juridical Resolutions: Incorporating modern fatwas and institutional resolutions on emerging issues, notably those issued by the International Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia, and the Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Muslim World League .
Publication History
The work was first published in six volumes in 1413 AH (1992 CE) jointly by Dar al-Qiblah lil-Thaqafah al-Islamiyyah and the International Islamic Relief Organization in Jeddah . A second, revised six-volume edition containing corrections and additions was published in 1414 AH by Maktabat al-Nahdah al-Hadithah in Mecca .
The author completed substantial revisions for the fifth edition at his residence in al-ʿAwali, Mecca, in Shaʿban 1421 AH, expanding the hadith documentation, linguistic definitions, and contemporary council rulings; this edition was subsequently published by Maktabat al-Asadi in Mecca in 1423 AH (2003 CE) . Another edition was published by Dar al-Mayman under the care of the author's son .
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