Al Fiqh Al-Islami vs Nur Al-Idah

[gsmubeen]

Assalaamu 'alaikkum all,

Can anyone please suggest me which one of the following two books should i buy, (in terms of details and explanations)

1. AL-Fiqh Al-Islami by Mohammad Akram Nadvi

2. Nur al-idah translated by Wesam Charkawi

I dont have a big budget to buy both these books though I really want to..

Please reply,

Mubeen

[Hamood]

Assalaamu 'alaikkum all,

Can anyone please suggest me which one of the following two books should i buy, (in terms of details and explanations)

1. AL-Fiqh Al-Islami by Mohammad Akram Nadvi

2. Nur al-idah translated by Wesam Charkawi

I dont have a big budget to buy both these books though I really want to..

Please reply,

Mubeen

wa alaykum assalam,

Although I don't have the recent Nur al-Idah translation on me, I would recommend you go for the Nur al-Idah at this point because it is a classical manual which has been around for a long time and is studied in countless circles of knowledge.

wassalam,
SL

[gsmubeen]

Assalaamu 'alaikkum,

Thanx for the information. I have already visited the Nur Al-Idah site as well as the one for Al Fiqh Al-Islami. I was asking if anyone who had read both the books could suggest me which one to buy and based on what criteria.

Please reply,

Mubeen.

[faqir]

the above is a good enough reason

one is a classic the other isn't!

[Hamood]

the above is a good enough reason

one is a classic the other isn't!

Also, the Al-Fiqh al-Islami contains a few mistakes. I believe some Hanafi scholar will point those out soon.

As for Nur al-Idah, I remember soofi_saheb mentioned there were a few mistakes in the translated version although the publisher did say they will correct them. As for the actual text, it's simply brilliant. Relatively easy to understand for a student of knowledge and probably a little difficult for a lay person, although hopefully this new translation makes it easier.

Lastly, one should make an effort to formally study the basic masail with a qualified scholar. By far, that is the best way to learn.

I've found that simply browsing fiqh Q&A websites is immensely beneficial.

[faqir]

I'm interested in what he says about wiping over cotton socks in al-Fiqh al-Islami.

[Abu Bubu]

Asallamu Alaykum,

Are these or any other Hanafi fiqh books like Hidaya available to read online?

Wasallam.

[al-kakazai]

salam

please have a look at khulasah al-kaydani and a partial translation on It-Haf al-Talib on

www.daralhadith.blogspot.com

we are also preparing tuhfa al-mubtadi which is a beginners text in hanafi fiqh which is more simpler and easier to study than nur al-idah, it is still being proofread for publication inshallah

ws

[omar2006]

Get this instead
http://www.al-rashad.com/product_info.php?cPath=24?osCsid=dc4d318962b0b8319 e9558709289d37b&products_id=172

Heavenly Ornaments [Bahisti Zewar] is very practical for a layman. Don't be ashamed of reading it.

Also, first go through this for fiqh of tahara.
http://www.sacredlearning.org/classrooms/pearls/index.htm

This will produce in you the aptitude for reading and understand fiqh books.

So save money and buy Heavenly Ornaments [Bahisti Zewar]

[Sunni_Student786]

Get this instead
http://www.al-rashad.com/product_info.php?cPath=24?osCsid=dc4d318962b0b8319 e9558709289d37b&products_id=172

Heavenly Ornaments [Bahisti Zewar] is very practical for a layman. Don't be ashamed of reading it.

Also, first go through this for fiqh of tahara.
http://www.sacredlearning.org/classrooms/pearls/index.htm

This will produce in you the aptitude for reading and understand fiqh books.

So save money and buy Heavenly Ornaments [Bahisti Zewar]

How comprehensive would you say Beheshti Zewar is compared to the translation of Nur al Idah or al Fiqh al Islami?

[Sunni_Student786]

salam

please have a look at khulasah al-kaydani and a partial translation on It-Haf al-Talib on

www.daralhadith.blogspot.com

we are also preparing tuhfa al-mubtadi which is a beginners text in hanafi fiqh which is more simpler and easier to study than nur al-idah, it is still being proofread for publication inshallah

ws

Continue to keep us posted insha'allah.

I am looking forward to it.

Wa'salaam.

[Nawawi619]

As Salamu Alaykum


I have both books. I find the Nur al Idah translation more useful from the learning standpoint. It covers taqlid, the purification, prayer, fasting, zakat, hajj. It contains a glossary for terminology and also an appendix section which has sample examination questions one can test oneself on to make sure one understands the material. Fiqh al Islami is really good for the primary and secondary evidences for tahara and salah but can be distracting for people wanting to know the ruling. I use Nur al Idah in finding out a ruling and Fiqh al Islami for evidences for tahara and salah. Both compliment each other.

[omar2006]

How comprehensive would you say Behe**** Zewar is compared to the translation of Nur al Idah or al Fiqh al Islami?

I am not in the position to answer this question as I don't have either book.

However, whenever one studies books in any field, one starts off with books that are simple and less detailed. So first one masters the basics using the less detailed books, then he can further purse more detailed works since he will have developed a foundation and aptitude for understanding them. Otherwise he will become frustrated and not learn much or learn that which isn't necessary. For example, knowing that certain Imam didn't think that the ankle is included (I think this was Imam Zufur's Rah opinion) when washing the feet isn't really that important from a laymen's perspective. Rather it will only serve to confuse him.

It seems that people are attracted to books such as Nur al Idah and Quoodri when they should try to just learn basic fiqh using books aimed at laymen instead of pursing books that might be harder to understand but have an air of prestige due to the fact that they are taught to Ulema.

Anyway, this is just my opinion and it wasn't aimed at you specifically.

http://www.azharacademy.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=1899

The above book is very nice. It has questions at the end of each section.

[Hamood]

I'm interested in what he says about wiping over cotton socks in al-Fiqh al-Islami.

He mentions the standard position of Imam Muhammad, Imam Abu Yusuf and the final position of Imam Abu Hanifa about the permissibility of doing masah over jawrabayn (thick socks which don't allow water). In short, he doesn't go into much detail on the issue and doesn't mention the word "cotton".

[Nawawi619]

I am not in the position to answer this question as I don't have either book.

However, whenever one studies books in any field, one starts off with books that are simple and less detailed. So first one masters the basics using the less detailed books, then he can further purse more detailed works since he will have developed a foundation and aptitude for understanding them. Otherwise he will become frustrated and not learn much or learn that which isn't necessary. For example, knowing that certain Imam didn't think that the ankle is included (I think this was Imam Zufur's Rah opinion) when washing the feet isn't really that important from a laymen's perspective. Rather it will only serve to confuse him.

It seems that people are attracted to books such as Nur al Idah and Quoodri when they should try to just learn basic fiqh using books aimed at laymen instead of pursing books that might be harder to understand but have an air of prestige due to the fact that they are taught to Ulema.

Anyway, this is just my opinion and it wasn't aimed at you specifically.

http://www.azharacademy.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=1899

The above book is very nice. It has questions at the end of each section.

As Salamu Alaykum

I agree to the extent that ulama and translators should spend their resources in producing beginner friendly texts. Unfortunately, and I've aired my criticisms in other threads, that the traditional publishers are spending resources on translating muwatta of imam muhammad and kitab al athar and other works reserved for ulama and advanced students.

At the same time however with the advent of high quality Salafi-oriented works, where is the alternative? Shaykh Nuh Keller produced the translation of Reliance of the Traveller which is a very intermediate work in the Shafi'i school back in 1991. He added texts before and after and formatted the book to be user friendly for the contemporary Muslim. His students remarked that this book was "a bandaid on a gushing wound". Not the ideal, but better than picking up "How to become a Mufti in 5 days According to the Quran and Sunnah by Dar al Harb publishers."

Traditional Sunni Islam has almost 20 years to catch up to the Salafi-oriented publications that are produced in beautiful glossy paper and hard covers attracting new Muslims to the "do-it-yourself" Islam.

In my opinion, qualified people should produced high quality translations of our classical heritage and reformat it to a user friendly approach similar to what Sh Nuh did to Reliance. While I never advocate book learning, on the other end, like Sunnipath.com and other learning centers should use these books as their textbooks so that students not only get a good quality text but also the required understanding from places like sunnipath.com

For example, Nur al Idah translation should be coupled with a course offered at Sunnipath.com using that translation. That way, the teacher could correct any mistakes and offer the nuances that are missed simply by reading the text by itself.

This should be done with advanced texts like Reliance and Hidayah but with prerequisites of studying smaller texts before one can take these courses. Which begs the other question....why haven't the most basic texts of the madhahib translated and reformatted for the contemporary Muslim? Turath is currently producing al Lubab sharh al Kitab al Quduri an intermediate work in Hanafi fiqh (which was supposed to come out back in 2006 but has yet to even see the light of day). It's taking Zaytuna institute 10 years to come out with a Maliki fiqh text studied by little children in West Africa. All the while more Salafi-oriented books come off the press. This could be because of all the oil generated wealth from Saudi and other places.

I guess its just me venting. Wa Llahu Alim

[gsmubeen]

Assalaamu 'alaikkum all,

Thanx you for all your information that you have provided. Let me be more specific,

I have Bahisti Zewar (the First Edition - Indexed Version) - which usually points to a Fiqh kitab for Daleel.

I have also read kanju da QaiQ.

The above two books usually gives the Masails and dont go into explaining them in detail.

I am lookin for a book which gives detailed explanations on the Masails that it covers. That was the reason I started this thread though I havent stated that in the begining. My mistake.

Also i would request the brothers and sisters who have read the Al-Fiqh Al-Islami, Nur Al-Idah, Al-Hidayah, to please start a thread where you can discuss the minor printing errors or omission for it would benefit a lot of people who have bought the books and could not afford to wait and buy the next editions.

Thank you all once again and Please keep the discussion alive....

Mubeen.

[Abu Salma]

As-salamu 'alaykum,

One thing I love about the new Nur al-Idah translation is that it has the actual text of the Matn (Nur al-Idah) in bold and then complements with explanation from Imam al-Shurunbulali's :rahim: own sharh (Maraqi al-Falah). So one can easily find the actual ruling and then choose to read the explanation or not.

[Sunni Muslim]

As Salamu Alaykum

I agree to the extent that ulama and translators should spend their resources in producing beginner friendly texts. Unfortunately, and I've aired my criticisms in other threads, that the traditional publishers are spending resources on translating muwatta of imam muhammad and kitab al athar and other works reserved for ulama and advanced students.

At the same time however with the advent of high quality Salafi-oriented works, where is the alternative? Shaykh Nuh Keller produced the translation of Reliance of the Traveller which is a very intermediate work in the Shafi'i school back in 1991. He added texts before and after and formatted the book to be user friendly for the contemporary Muslim. His students remarked that this book was "a bandaid on a gushing wound". Not the ideal, but better than picking up "How to become a Mufti in 5 days According to the Quran and Sunnah by Dar al Harb publishers."

Traditional Sunni Islam has almost 20 years to catch up to the Salafi-oriented publications that are produced in beautiful glossy paper and hard covers attracting new Muslims to the "do-it-yourself" Islam.

In my opinion, qualified people should produced high quality translations of our classical heritage and reformat it to a user friendly approach similar to what Sh Nuh did to Reliance. While I never advocate book learning, on the other end, like Sunnipath.com and other learning centers should use these books as their textbooks so that students not only get a good quality text but also the required understanding from places like sunnipath.com

For example, Nur al Idah translation should be coupled with a course offered at Sunnipath.com using that translation. That way, the teacher could correct any mistakes and offer the nuances that are missed simply by reading the text by itself.

This should be done with advanced texts like Reliance and Hidayah but with prerequisites of studying smaller texts before one can take these courses. Which begs the other question....why haven't the most basic texts of the madhahib translated and reformatted for the contemporary Muslim? Turath is currently producing al Lubab sharh al Kitab al Quduri an intermediate work in Hanafi fiqh (which was supposed to come out back in 2006 but has yet to even see the light of day). It's taking Zaytuna institute 10 years to come out with a Maliki fiqh text studied by little children in West Africa. All the while more Salafi-oriented books come off the press. This could be because of all the oil generated wealth from Saudi and other places.

I guess its just me venting. Wa Llahu Alim


Alhamdulillah, i totally agree with your view.

[al-kakazai]

salam

I also agree with "some" of your sentiments,

yes the lubab will only really be accessible for students of knowledge, large parts of it will be difficult for a common person to understand, likewise the case of the hidayah translation

this is why we have been trying to produce materials on the daralhadith blog which I have pointed out, we have placed a beginners classical text on fiqh and are working on the publication of another classical beginners text with a user friendly commentary which gives the dalil aswell

ws

[Nawawi619]

salam

I also agree with "some" of your sentiments,

yes the lubab will only really be accessible for students of knowledge, large parts of it will be difficult for a common person to understand, likewise the case of the hidayah translation

this is why we have been trying to produce materials on the daralhadith blog which I have pointed out, we have placed a beginners classical text on fiqh and are working on the publication of another classical beginners text with a user friendly commentary which gives the dalil aswell

ws

As Salamu Alaykum Sidi

Jazakallahu khair for all the hard work to put up a blog that will help facilitate that, but we need more than blogs and kinko copied translations of works not readily available on the market (I'm speaking of my 1998 copy of the Maliki classic al Murshid al Mu'in from Zaytuna). Also people usually get turned off when they have to print 300 pages from the net (thats a lot of toner or ink! not to mention paper and binding costs!)

We need high quality, user friendly, translated classical works from the madhahib complimented with online classes that can thoroughly explain such texts (with the assumption that not everyone can go overseas to study with a Shaykh or traditional school).

Within the online realm like Sunnipath, there should be a multi-tiered learning system. So far all the classes offered in fiqh on sunnipath.com only cover up from tahara to hajj (which is extremely important for beginners and everyone alike) from very basic texts like for my school, risalatul jamiah and al maqasid (both of which alhamdulillah I had an opportunity to study twice at sunnipath) but after that, there is no other Shafi'i fiqh class that goes beyond that like a more advanced book in the series after those books. With the Hanafis they cover Sidi Faraz Rabbani's translation of Absolute Essentials in Islam a very concise but useful exposition of tahara and salah in the Hanafi school, and then Maraqi as Sadat which is a beginner/intermediate work. But after that there is nothing else more advanced. They do cover topics from time to time like marriage and business but there is a need for more.

I know publishing is expensive and time consuming but this is badly needed in our times. As far as dalils being placed in basic books, I rather see the dalils in the appendix section of the book rather than it being smack in with the text. As we all know, beginners need to learn the rules first, which could be hard for some, dalils in the text can distract the reader or student from memorizing and understanding the basic rulings. That is why I find the new translation of Nur al Idah more useful in this regard. Like I said earlier, I usually refer to Fiqh al Islami when I need to know the dalil for a particular ruling on tahara or salah for the Hanafi school.

[al-kakazai]

salam

thankyou for your feedback

interestingly with the khulasah al-kaydani we sent the draft from the blog to a number of students of knowledge/shuyukh asking for their feedback and corrections/suggestions etc, we received little or no response unfortunately

with the tuhfa al-mubtadi work we have placed the matn first without any commentary, then the matn is printed again in part2 of the work with commentary added in, we have done this so that the text is accessible for all levels and groups, the beginning students can open their copies to the matn only section without being distracted, whilst teachers/advanced students can open up at the commentary section

also the layout for It-Haf al-Talib is unique amongst classical hanafi fiqh works

we also hope our notes and commentary for the two texts placed on the blog are unique in the english language at the moment, even fiqh al-islami mentions the basic evidences without going into fiqhi explanations

finally, nur al-idah is fine if you are in a fulltime madrassa, but it is not the best text to be studied by a beginner, there is way too much detail in there, it is because of this we started the kaydani-tuhfa al-mubtadi-ithaf al talib projects as we know they will inshallah be of use and benefit

ws

[faqir]

I know publishing is expensive

It isn't THAT expensive.

Sunnis are just lazy.

[Sunni_Student786]

...

this is why we have been trying to produce materials on the daralhadith blog which I have pointed out, we have placed a beginners classical text on fiqh and are working on the publication of another classical beginners text with a user friendly commentary which gives the dalil aswell

ws

And may Allah bless you for it.

You are doing good work and I pray that Allah rewards you immensely for it.

[masum2u]

Assalamu 'alaykum

The book Nur al Idah is out now in UK:
http://www.azharacademy.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=1904

Wassalaam

[Syed Ahmed]

Salam

It was interesting reading all the responses and comments. As someone who at a very basic level attended classes on Nur Al-Idah where the teacher (the wife of Sh Nuh) went through the book ruling by ruling i can say, Yes, it is a very good book for those of us who are beginning and just looking for the ruling and nothing more.

As for Al-Fiqh Al-Islami, a few points I note are:

1. It is quite unique in that it’s all originally written in English.
2. Its classically modern; contains some ruling on modern issues.
3. People who have read it will note that the opinions expressed on
issue are those of the earliest generation of Hanafi scholars only.
4. The strongest evidences for the rulings are provided.

These issue make it stand out from others. All in all it will become a solid reference book for Hanafi Fiqh. Mash-Allah.

[Syed Ahmed]

Salam the comments below may add to the discussion from http://seekingilm.com/archives/313#more-313


The Hanafis at it again: Al-Fiqh Al-Islami of Shaykh Muhammad Nadwi
By Abul Layth on May 7, 2008 in Book Reviews, Hanafi Fiqh | 476 article views

The Hanafis of the west have done it again. Another thorn in the side of the Hanbali-leaning, though not clinging, pseudo-salafis in fiqh. I predicted Jun 1st of 2007 that the Hanafis would be forced to print manuals in law and creed in order to save their youth from the “dark side” and its sith-like attacks upon their noble madh-hab. Al-Fiqh Al-Islami is a wonderful masterpiece on fiqh, providing the student with a plethora of proofs. Many of the proofs presented in the manual have went untranslated prior to this release. Basically the manual begins with the foundational principles of the Madh-hab (legal guild): Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijma’, Qiyas.


After going over the beginning basics, the author proceeds by taking the student through a history of the development of the school, of course linking it to the Sahabah and the earliest tabi’in in Kufah. He then goes into Taharah and its rulings, Salah - a definite read for the Hanafi student of our time, and continues with the rulings regarding the Janazah. A negative of the book is that the proofs are not in our deen’s lingua franca, so memorization may be difficult unless you have the works referenced, which most Western-Hanafis do not, and if they did have all the references they really wouldn’t even need this translation. The work is another addition to the latest surge of Western-Hanafism fighting back with intellectual print. I reckon that this book will be utilized for the western students in many deobandi schools across America. For now you can get the book at Al-Rashad Bookstore, or atleast see some of the pages and the general quality of the print. I recommend every western-Hanafi purchase the book and add it to their growing library on Hanafi fiqh. It is a wonderful work for the beginner, that much is certain.

May Allah bless our beloved Sayyid Muhammad, his family, and his followers Amin!

[al-kakazai]

Salam, to illustrate the point, here is a brief extract from the upcoming classical text along with the commentary, matn is in bold:

[The Desirable Acts of Wudu]
As for its desirable acts they are:
1- Beginning with the right side
الشرح Meaning starting from the right when washing the hands and feet. Recommended is defined as that which the Prophet (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) performed at times and left at other times.
The more correct opinion is that beginning from the right is sunnah as was stated in Tuhfah al-Fuqaha (1/13) due to His (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) continual practice of beginning with the right when washing and due to His (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) words: “When you clothe or wash yourself, begin with your right side” reported by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban in their Sahihs.
And due to what is reported in al-Bukhari, Muslim and the four from Aishah that: ‘The Messenger of Allah loved to begin with his right side while putting on his shoes, straightening his hair and cleaning (or purifying) himself’. See Fath al-Qadir (1/23), Nasb al-Rayah (1/34).

[Sunni Muslim]

Al-Fiqh al-Islami is a modern manual of condensed Hanafi fiqh evidences. It appears to have mentioned a few weak positions as though it is the strongest position in the Madhhab. What is apparently lacking is an exhaustive treatment of transmitted evidences, especially the mention of the authenticity of the narrations also. Thus, in my opinion it needs more refining and explanation of the fiqhi nature of the nusus.

[Syed Ahmed]

Salam

Exactly, it is modern. Whilst I believe we should hold on to our traditions, it is also important for scholars of our time (and for all time to come actually) to add to the great scholastic history of Islam.

In terms of providing explanation or comparisons – perhaps the Shaykh thought it may then become more comparative?

On the question of mistakes or weak opinions, it may be good to point this out so that the Shaykh and even the publishers can take note.

What are the weak opinions anyway?

[Nawawi619]

As Salamu Alaykum


In my opinion, Fiqh al Islami would be good as a reference work to see some of the evidences to the Hanafi fiqh rulings, however, it isnt as explanative in the actual fiqh ruling as the translation of Nur al Idah.

My dream fiqh work would be a combination of the style and presentation of the classical fiqh works coupled with the needs of the modern Muslim (ie modern implications and applicability to the ruling, rukhsa and azima alternative rulings in comparative fiqh, primary and secondary evidences).

I think Shaykh Nuh Keller was on the right track with his translation of Reliance of the Traveller. He first put essays and works before the main fiqh work to explain the importance of fiqh and sacred knowledge. After the work he put out works and essays from both classical and modern scholars on issues and fitnahs affecting the Muslims of the time.

At the same time I do feel we need our classical heritage translated but not just for the sake of translation, but made into a practical manual that along with qualified teachers actually using that translated text could really benefit the ummah. What is nice about Reliance, for example is the text in arabic and its commentary is facing the english translation so , for more advanced students, they can read through the arabic text, and use the english translation as a crutch in case there is terminology difficulties.

So far havent really seen works match up to Reliance in terms of being user friendly, maintaining the classical heritage, etc.

[Syed Ahmed]

Salam

People who posted in this thread may be intrested to read the thead below.


http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35396 (http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35396)

Salam