Hanafi Usul al-Fiqh Works

[a_muslim]

In Egypt, although it is better for studying Shafi'i and Maliki fiqh, the Hanafis teach Sharh Mukhtasar al-Manar and Sharh al-Tawdih 'ala al-Talwih.

I think that last one is taught in the Dars Nizami too in the Indian subcontinent.


And ustad, what are "general" works on usul like, do the authors give their own opinions or are they comparitive studies of the usul of different madh-habs or what...

[godilali]

This is a nice example of what I mean when I say "general" - http://www.sunnah.org/fiqh/usul/usul...ni/Default.htm

[verdana]

Are there any other translated Usul books?

[a_muslim]

I have a question for knowledgaeble bros/sisters particularly scholars (Mufti Husain/Ml AbuHajira if u see this plz reply):

If someone wants to gain a firm command over Usool al-Fiqh (Hanafi and also other), what books should he study beyond what are taught in Dars-Nizami. I mean somewhere where only Usool al-Shashi and Nur al-Anwar are taught, what should a person go into after that. I was looking at this:
تدوين اصول الفقه عند الحنفية
and there is so much that a person can get lost just reading the names.

Also, besides the above mentioned two, what other books are taught in madaris of Ind/Pak. I know of one called something like Tawdeeh al-Talweeh (Taftazani's sharh on some other book or something)

[khalillahmed]

a-muslim did you graduate from Dar-Al-Uloom, Blackburn or still studying?

[Ali al-Hanafi]

I have a question for knowledgaeble bros/sisters particularly scholars (Mufti Husain/Ml AbuHajira if u see this plz reply):

If someone wants to gain a firm command over Usool al-Fiqh (Hanafi and also other), what books should he study beyond what are taught in Dars-Nizami. I mean somewhere where only Usool al-Shashi and Nur al-Anwar are taught, what should a person go into after that. I was loking at this:
تدوين اصول الفقه عند الحنفية
and there is so much that a person can get lost just reading the names.

Also, besides the above mentioned two, what other books are taught in madaris of Ind/Pak. I know of one called something like Tawdeeh al-Talweeh (Taftazani's sharh on some other book or something)

There are over 250 works on Hanafi Usools including mutoon, shuruhaat, hawaashi, etc. After about the 6-8th century, generally the Ulema stopped writing mutoon and began focusing on sharhs and hashiyas. The most popular works BY FAR are Al-Manaar-ul-Anwaar of Allamah Nasafi (rahmatullahialayh), which is taught in the Dars-e-Nizami with its Sharh Noor-ul-Anwaar, and At-Tanqih by Allamah Sadr Shari'ah Asghar (rahmatullahialayh), together with the author's own commentary on it by the name of At-Tawdih. Allamah Khashikahi's (rahmatullahialayh) Muntakhab al-Husamy is also popular and is taught in the Subcontinent as the most advance on the subject in the syllabus and is highly regarded by the Ulema. Al-Mughni of al-Khabaazi (rahmatullahialayh) is another popuar work (historically at least, not anymore for some reason) and of the most recent mutoon that the Ulema accepted are Musallam-us-Thuboot (author's name escapes me at the moment) and Al-Durrar of Mulla Khusro (rahmatullahialayh), both of which are a few hundered years old at least. However, if there is one book that trumps all, it has to be Imam Bazdawi's work, which is notorious for its difficulty and subtleties, but is much loved by the Imams of the Madhab. It seems as though his brother wrote a summary of it, or rather simplified it, but that never gained much popularity. Ibn Hajib al-Maaliki's (rahmatullahialayh) work was also much commented on by the Hanafis, as did the Shafis and Malikis themselves so it seems to have struck a cord with all the Madhabs (except the Hanbalis).

Allah knows best.

[a_muslim]

@khalilahmed: no, still there (btw, you won't remember me ).

@Ali al-Hanafi. . very very helpful. i'll note that down, plz others comment too.
May Allah bless you in your ilm. ameen.

One question:

... and Al-Durrar of Mulla Khusro (rahmatullahialayh), both of which are a few hundered years old at least. .....

Is that the same as what brother verdana said about the one taught in Turkey:

Miratu'l-Usul fi Sharh Mirkatu'l-Vusul fi usul al-fiqh by Molla Husrev

Molla Husrev sounds like Turkish for Mulla Khusro...

And about the OP, Shaykh Akram al-Nadwi has written in the preface of his tahqeeq of Usool al-Shashi that the most famous Hanafi books on Usul al-Fiqh are the Usool of al-Karkhi; Ta'sees al-Nadhr by Abu Zayd al-Daboosi and the Usool of al-Bazdawi. The first 2 dont seem to be mentioned in the list (unless they have other names).

Here's something else i thought fits this thread...I was listening to a random recording of Mufti Zarwali Khan's Dawrah Tafseer of 2006...he says that if any student was to tell him that he wishes to study Usool al-Fiqh, then he'll look; if he's of high calibre and has a good level of Arabic and has a "dhawq" in Arabic then he'd tell him to study Tahreer al-Usool of Ibn al-Humam which contains the Usool of all the madhahib. And if the student was of slightly lower level ("mutawassit") then he'd tell him to learn Ghayat al-Tahqeeq, a sharh of al-Husamy which Mufti Zarwali says is the best sharh in the world and he himself wants to write a hashiya on it if Allah gives him tawfeeq.

Also Mawlana Zuhair Bazi (Pakistan) says that his father, the great Mawlana Muhammad Musa Roohani al-Bazi used to consider Sadr al-Shariah's book on Usool (al-Tawdeeh ala'l-Talweeh ?) the strongest Hanafi work on the subject

[Ali al-Hanafi]

One question:

Is that the same as what brother verdana said about the one taught in Turkey:

Molla Husrev sounds like Turkish for Mulla Khusro...

Yes it's the same author but the books are different as far as I can tell. Maybe Hadhrat Mufti Husain Sahib (daamat barakaatuhum) can correct me if I am mistaken. Mirah-ul-Usool also has a number of commentaries on it and is a famous book too.

And about the OP, Shaykh Akram al-Nadwi has written in the preface of his tahqeeq of Usool al-Shashi that the most famous Hanafi books on Usul al-Fiqh are the Usool of al-Karkhi; Ta'sees al-Nadhr by Abu Zayd al-Daboosi and the Usool of al-Bazdawi. The first 2 dont seem to be mentioned in the list (unless they have other names).

Probably not the most famous but certainly amongst the earliest that have survived to this day. Imam Karkhi's (rahmatullahialayh) booklet though is not a work on Usools like the ones we know of, i.e. it does not discuss Khaas and Aam, Amr and Nahi, etc, etc; it's more of a listing of legal maxims like, preference will be given to avoiding harm than gaining benefit; adopting the lesser of two evils, etc. I believe Allamah Ibn Nujaym's (rahmatullahialayh) Al-Isbah (which is taught in Ifta) is also of a similar nature and the better of the two if I am not mistaken (as some Ulema have differed with Imam Karkhi (rahmatullahialayh) on a few of the maxims, which is fine because it's the first work of its kind ever. Most of it is ok anyway as far as I have been able to ascertain).

Imam Daboosi (rahmatullahialayh), d 430H, was a major Faqih of his generation (which considering when he lived, is saying something) and has authored a number of books on Usool-ul-Fiqh which are recognised as authoritative works on the subject. Ta'sis seems to be a magnificent book and very methodical in its discussions on the differences between the three Imams of the Madhab in Usool. I think Qadeemi have published it. He also wrote Al-Israar, Al-Anwaar fi al-Usool (which is a Mukhtasar) and Taqweem al-Adilla, which has been published a couple of times at least and to which Imam Bazdawi (rahmatullahialayh) no less wrote an excellent commentary of (which is also one of the first if not the first commentary written on Usools in the Madhab).

Allah knows best

[Khali]

I think when it comes to usul in the Hanafi madhab one should read carefully this:

THE METHOD OF THE HANAFI SCHOLARS OF AL USUL
The Hanafi method of writing on al Usul involved defining the principles of Usul from the details of legal issues with which their earliest predecessors had already dealt. Thus, the basis for their studies of al Usul was derived from the details of previously settled legal issues, and not the other way round. Therefore, one who studies Usul al Fiqh according to this method will gather the details of issues concerning which the Hanafi Imams have already given Fatawa, and then analyze them. Through his analysis he will decide the basis on which these Fatawa were given.

Shah Wali Allah of Delhi commented:

"I found that some of them claimed the differences between Abu Hanifah and al Shafi'i were founded on the Usul mentioned in al Bazdawi's book and elsewhere. But the truth is that most of these Usul were themselves derived from the differing legal pronouncement of the Imams. My opinion of the matter is that such principles of al Usul as the rules which say that the specific "al Khass" is obvious "Mubayyan", and does not need to be followed by a declaration "Bayan"; that the addition of details to a text constitutes abrogation "Naskh"; that the comprehensive "al 'Amm" is definitive "Qat'i" like the specific "al Khass"; that mere numbers of narrations may not be taken as a factor in according preference Tarjih to one opinion or another; that the Hadith of one who is not a Faqih need not necessarily be adopted in cases where there can be no resort to reason; that there is no legitimacy to the notion of progressing from a precondition "Shart" or description "Wasf" to a legal deduction; that the imperative "al Amr" in a text always indicates legal obligation "Wujub"; and so on, all of these are examples of principles inferred from the judgements of the Imams. Indeed, there are no sound narrations to suggest that Abu Hanifah or his two companions, Muhammad and Abu Yusuf, adhered to any of these principles of source methodology. As such, then, these principles deserve no more to be preserved and defended, as al Bazdawi and the others did, than the opposing principles do." [See al Dahlawi, op. cit., I, 336-341; also al Dahlawi, Al Insaf fi Bayan Asbab al Ikhtilaf (Salafiyah, Cairo), p.3840.]

[khalillahmed]

@a-muslim!!! What year are you currently in?