Tawdih al-Ahkam Sharh Tuhfat al-Hukkam
- Author died
- 1350 AH
- Editions
- al-Matba'ah al-Tunisiyyah
Tawdih al-Ahkam Sharh Tuhfat al-Hukkam (Clarification of Rulings: Commentary on the Gift of Judges) is a four-part Maliki jurisprudential commentary by the Tunisian scholar Uthman ibn al-Makki al-Tuzari (d. 1350 AH / 1931–1932 CE) on the judicial didactic poem Tuhfat al-Hukkam by Ibn Asim al-Gharnati (d. 829 AH / 1426 CE) .
Background and Purpose
The author, Uthman ibn Bilqasim ibn al-Makki al-Tuzari al-Zubaydi, served as a senior first-class instructor at the Ez-Zitouna Mosque in Tunis . In the introduction to the work, he explained that his motivation for composing the commentary was to simplify the path of learning for students and to revive the practice of scholarly authorship among contemporaries . He compiled and summarized the text from existing commentaries on the poem and other authoritative works of the Maliki school, tracking each chapter's legal issues and rendering their meanings into accessible phrasing .
Structure and Composition
The commentary follows the thematic layout of Ibn Asim's rajaz verses on judiciary rules, contracts, and procedure:
- Part One: Covers the introductory sections through reconciliation (al-sulh) . The author completed drafting this portion on 1 Shawwal 1333 AH .
- Part Two: Commences with the chapter on marriage (bab al-nikah) and family law .
- Part Three: Begins with child custody (al-hadanah) and commercial transactions (al-buyu'), concluding with mortmain endowments (al-habs) . This part was completed on 17 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1337 AH .
- Part Four: Covers gratuitous transactions (al-tabarru'at), subsequent chapters, and the conclusion of the poem .
Review and Publication
Prior to printing, successive sections of the commentary were submitted to the Academic Directorate (al-Nazarah al-Ilmiyyah) of the Ez-Zitouna Mosque for formal evaluation and licensing:
- The first segment (from the start of the poem to marriage) was reviewed and endorsed on Saturday, 15 Rabi' al-Thani 1334 AH (19 February 1916 CE), bearing the signatures of Ahmad al-Sharif, Muhammad ibn al-Qadi, and Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur .
- The middle segment (from commercial transactions to endowments) was approved on Saturday, 10 Jumada al-Ula 1338 AH (31 January 1920 CE) by Ahmad Bayram, Salim Bu Hajib, Muhammad Ridwan, and Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur .
- The final segment (from endowments to the poem's conclusion) was approved on Saturday, 19 Jumada al-Ula 1339 AH (29 January 1921 CE) by Ahmad Bayram, Ibrahim al-Marghini, Muhammad Ridwan, and Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur .
The complete work was first published in four volumes in Tunis by al-Matba'a al-Tunisiyya in 1339 AH (1920–1921 CE) .
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