This post will be a concise book review regarding the first matn’ [text] in the Madhab of Imam Ahmad. I had a drive to write about this particular book because my search to find a copy of this matn’ has finally come to an end after five years!!! That’s right, I have finally managed to purchase a copy of this rare book! Al-Hamdulilah! It is very interesting to note, the publishers of this book is called: “Daar An-Nawaadir”. The word “nawaadir” is from the verb nadhar’ yanduru’ which means, “to be rare” and “to be uncommon”, – and the word “nawaadir” is the plural of “naadira” which means, “rarity” or “rare thing” – so publishers were certainly accurate about their claim, as this book took me almost five years to locate and purchase!
The Author:
He was Abul Qasim Umar ibn Ali al-Husayn bin Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Khiraqi [d.299 AH] He was a prominent Hanbali jurist from Bagdad. He was first guided to Hanbali School by his father and Al-Khiraqi knew the two son of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Abdullah and Saalih. Al-Khiraqi’s father was very closely associated with companions of Ahmad, and he mostly associated himself with the very close companion of Ahmad: Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi [d.275 AH]. Al-Khiraqi studied under Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi, Harb al-Kirmani and two sons of Ahmad: Abdullah and Saalih. He was also a pupil of Abu Bark al-Khallah (d.311 AH).
The Book:
The Mukhtasar is a comprehensive treatise covering the whole range of legal issues. The treatise at hand is known as Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi as well as Al-Mukhtasar fee al-Fiqh. As mentioned before, it is first book that was written for the Madhab of Ahmad. It is book in fiqh [Islamic jurisprudence]. Al-Khiraqi is the one who summarised the responsa of Imam Ahmad into a book form.
As per normal, as it is a fiqh book it has been written in masaa’il format, with hardly any quotation from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This shows us that this method of teaching fiqh through masaa’il has existed for a very long time, and it is not something new. It also shows us that a student in his initial stage in seeking knowledge should not study fiqh via hadith primarily. Secondly, a beginner should cease from requesting for evidences at every single issue and should have a certain degree of trust upon his teacher/sheikh. The student should gradually build himself in this way and understand the masaa’il through evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Studying fiqh through hadith come at later stage.
The book itself has been divided into sub-books [kitaab] and then the sub-books have been divided into sub-chapters [baab], containing the different issues. I can’t confirm if the author actually divided the book in this way, but what is apparent from the pictures of the manuscripts – it seems so. The book contains two thousand and three hundred masaa’il according to Abu Ishaaq.
All the books in fiqh, such as al-mutoon, as-shrooh, al-hawaashe, al-mukhtasaaraat from the Madhab until now is one way or another way related to this book! Subhan-Allah!
Ibn al-Bannaah said in the introduction of his explanation of Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi:
“Some of our sheikhs used to say: ‘There are three mukhtasaaraat in three subjects that I have not come across the likes of: al-Faseh’ by Thalab, al-Lumah’ by Ibn Jinney and al-Mukhtasar by al-Khiraqi, no one who engages himself with these [books] and understands them as they should be understood, will succeed and surpass.”’
Al-Haafid Al-Deyaah’ said:
“I saw Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in a dream. He dictated to me an issue in fiqh. So I said: ‘This is in Al-Khiraqi.’ And then he (Imam Ahmad) said: ‘Your companion, al-Muwaffaq did not fall short in his explanation of Al-Khiraqi.”’
From these narrations we understand the position and the status of this book in the Madhab of Ahmad.
The Commentaries:
This matn’ has had many commentaries attached to it, in fact it is the most commented upon matn’ in the Madhab of Ahmad. According to Yusuf ibn Abdil-Hadi [d.909 AH], there were three hundred commentaries of Al-Khiraqi available during his time. Sheikh Bakr Abu Zayd [d.1429 AH] listed twenty eight commentaries of Al-Khiraqi in his Madkhal. As we can see that this book has been heavily commented upon, Insha-Allah as a sign of its acceptance.
The first commentary of the book was by the author himself, Al-Khiraqi. So, he was the first person to author a book in fiqh for the Madhab and the first person to comment upon it also! This unfortunately has not reached us. I have only come across only three commentaries, which are available in print:
The First: Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah [d.620 AD]. Without any doubt, the greatest of the commentaries is Al-Mughni; it has been praised by Hanbali and non-Hanbali scholars alike. The Shafi`i mujtahid Imam Al-Izz bin `Abdus-Salam held back from giving verdicts until obtaining a copy of Al-Mughni. Al-Mughni builds on the previous works of Ibn Qadamah [i.e. Al-Umdah’, Al-Muqni and al-Kaafi’] by adding opinions from the other Madhabs from the Companions and early Imams whether it is still followed or extinct. Also, he brings in the opinions within the Mathab with a particular emphasis on what is transmitted from the Imam (Ahmad). The evidence for all of these various positions are included, and then a defence of the predominant position in Ibn Qudamah’s opinion. The book is also full of minute branch issues.
The Second: Al-Wadih by Abdur-Rahman ibn Umar ibn Abul-Qasim al-Basri [d.684 AH]. This is available in three volumes, and it has been completed.
The Third: Sharh’ al-Zarkashi ala al-Khiraqi by Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Zarkashi al-Misri [d.772 AH]. This is available in five volumes. The author actually authored two commentaries upon the book; the first being a detailed commentary and the second being an abridged version. He was not able to complete the abridged version, but this was completed by a later scholar from the Hanbali School.
Al-Hamdulilah! With this we have completed the brief book review of Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi. Until the next post: As-Salamu’aliykum wa-Rahmatullah wa-barkaatuh.
Abu Siyaam
