July 6, 2018

A Historical Overview of Islāmic Legal Maxims

By Muntasir Zaman

July 6, 2018

7 Min read

06July

A Historical Overview of Islāmic Legal Maxims By Shaykh Muṣṭafā al-Zarqā Translated by Muntasir Zaman[1] Unlike conventional legal texts, Islamic legal maxims were not formulated at once. The conceptual underpinnings of these maxims and their definitions developed gradually when jurisprudence blossomed at the hands of leading jurists from the rank of derivative opinion-making (takhrīj) and rule...

May 7, 2018

On the Retention of the Companions

By Muntasir Zaman

May 7, 2018

7 Min read

07May

On the Retention of the Companions By Muntasir Zaman To evaluate the reliability of a narrator, Ḥadīth scholars examined two integral characteristics: probity (ʿadālah) and retention (ḍabṭ).[1] After studying the probity of the Companions (Allah be pleased with them), a person is left with the following question: companionship with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not enhance...

April 15, 2018

The Life and Works of al-Kamāl Ibn al-Humām

By Muntasir Zaman

April 15, 2018

10 Min read

15April

The Life and Works of al-Kamāl Ibn al-Humām By Shaykh Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah Translated by Muntasir Zaman [The following excerpt is an abridged translation of the biography of Ibn al-Humām, the 9th century Ḥanafī legal theorist and jurist, whose erudition was acknowledged in countless fields like language, law, and Ḥadīth. For the entire piece, see Shaykh ʿAwwāmah, Dirāsah Ḥadīthiyyah Muqāranah, pp...

March 19, 2018

The Preservation of the Ḥadīth Literature

By Muntasir Zaman

March 19, 2018

27 Min read

19March

The Preservation of the Ḥadīth Literature By Muntasir Zaman “Marks of ink on one’s mouth and clothes are emblems of honor.”[1] – Ibrāhīm al-Nakha‘ī Introduction How has the Islamic civilization maintained the rich literary heritage of Ḥadīth developed by early Muslim scholars? What guarantee is there that the collections of ḥadīths in our possession have reached us accurately or that they...

December 14, 2017

The Life and Works of the Hanafī Jurist and Hadīth Scholar Qāsim ibn Qutlūbughā

By Muntasir Zaman

December 14, 2017

6 Min read

14December

The Life and Works of the Hanafī Jurist and Hadīth Scholar Qāsim ibn Qutlūbughā By Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwāmah Translated by Muntasir Zaman Introduction His name is Zayn al-Dīn Abū al-‘Adl Qāsim ibn Qutlūbughā al-Jamālī al-Hanafī, better known as ‘Allāmah Qāsim. He was born in Cairo in 802 AH where he lived until his demise in Rabī‘ al-Ākhir 879 AH. Growing up as an orphan, he began his studies at a...

December 10, 2017

On the Study of Comparative Fiqh (al-Fiqh al-Muqāran)

By Muntasir Zaman

December 10, 2017

7 Min read

10December

On the Study of Comparative Fiqh (al-Fiqh al-Muqāran) By Dr. Salāh Abū al-Hājj Translated by Muntasir Zaman [The following is an abridged translation of Dr. Salāh Abū al-Hājj’s discussion on comparative Fiqh. The author describes three methods of studying the differences of the jurists. The third method, better known as comparative Fiqh, is a modern concept that traces its origins to the 20th...

December 3, 2017

Guidelines on Evaluating Historical Reports

By Muntasir Zaman

December 3, 2017

14 Min read

03December

Guidelines on Evaluating Historical Reports By Shaykh Sharīf Hātim al-‘Awnī Translated by Muntasir Zaman [Translator’s preface: The following paper outlines an approach to evaluating the authenticity of historical reports. The author begins by emphasizing the merits of the Hadīth methodology, but makes sure to point out that not every science is obliged to adopt such a rigorous method. Drawing on...

November 16, 2017

The Life and Works of Hāfiẓ al-Zayla‘ī, Author of Nasb al-Rāyah

By Muntasir Zaman

November 16, 2017

9 Min read

16November

The Life and Works of Hāfiẓ al-Zayla‘ī, Author of Nasb al-Rāyah By Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwāmah Translated by Muntasir Zaman Name and lineage He is the Imām, prolific Hadith memorizer, and authority, Jamāl al-Dīn Abū Muhammad ‘Abd Allāh ibn Yūsuf ibn Yūnus Ibn Muhammad al-Zayla‘ī[1] al-Hanafī, one of the leading Hadīth experts of the 8th century, which brimmed with experts of Hadīth who revived the...

November 9, 2017

Distinctive Traits of the Islamic System of Inheritance

By Muntasir Zaman

November 9, 2017

6 Min read

09November

Distinctive Traits of the Islamic System of Inheritance By Mufti Taqi Uthmani Translated by Muntasir Zaman Islamic law has put in place a fair and wise system of inheritance. The Qur’an and Sunnah have meticulously elucidated the subject without leaving it to human reasoning, which is unable to fully grasp the profound wisdom only encompassed by Allah Most High. We, therefore, find that the...

April 27, 2017

Book Review: Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī’s al-Madkhal ilā ‘Ilm al-Sunan

By Muntasir Zaman

April 27, 2017

9 Min read

27April

Book Review: Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī’s al-Madkhal ilā ‘Ilm al-Sunan By Muntasir Zaman [Al-Madkhal ilā ‘Ilm al-Sunan, by Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī, 2016, 1st ed. Muhammad ‘Awwāmah, pp.969 + 94, vol.2, $35 (hardback), ISBN 978-9933-503-59-8] Covering nearly one-hundred topics, it is no wonder the disciplines of Hadīth are one of the few sciences that are ‘ripe’ (nadaj) and ‘roasted’ (ihtaraq), that is...