Library

منهاج الطالبين وعمدة المفتين في الفقه

Minhaj al-Talibin wa Umdat al-Muftin fi al-Fiqh

by Abu Zakariya Muhyi al-Din Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi

Minhaj al-Talibin (The Path of Seekers) is a foundational manual of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) written in the 13th century by the renowned Shafi'i scholar, Imam al-Nawawi. Serving as a primary reference for establishing the official rulings of the Shafi'i school of law, it systematically covers acts of worship, commerce, family law, and penal

Chapter 1 of 141

Author's Introduction

مقدمة المؤلف

1Author's Introduction
بسم
in the name of
هللا
Allah
الرحمن
the Most Gracious
الرحيم
the Most Merciful

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

2Author's Introduction
الحمد
All praise
هلل
is due to Allah
البر
the Most Righteous
الجواد
the Most Generous
الذي
Who
جلت
are exalted
نعمه
His blessings
عن
beyond
اإلحصاء
counting
باألعداد
by numbers
المان
the Benefactor
باللطف
with kindness
واإلرشاد
and guidance
الهادي
the Guide
إلى
to
سبيل
the path
الرشاد
of righteousness
الموفق
the Grantor of success
للتفقه
for understanding (in religion)
في
in
الدين
religion
من
whom
لطف
He shows kindness to
به
him
واختاره
and chooses him
من
from
العباد
the servants
أحمده
I praise Him
أبلغ
with the most eloquent
حمد
praise
وأكمله
and the most complete
وأزكاه
and the purest
وأشمله
and the most comprehensive
وأشهد
And I bear witness
أن
that
ال
there is no
إله
god
إال
except
هللا
Allah
الواحد
the One
الغفار
the Forgiver
وأشهد
And I bear witness
أن
that
محمدا
Muhammad
عبده
is His servant
ورسوله
and His messenger
المصطفى
the Chosen One
المختار
the Selected One
صلى
may Allah send blessings
هللا
Allah
عليه
upon him
وسلم
and grant him peace
وزاده
and increased him
فضال
in favor
وشرفا
and honor
لديه
with Him

All praise is due to Allah, the Benevolent and Generous, whose blessings are beyond counting. He bestows kindness and guidance, leading to the right path and granting deep understanding of the religion to those He favors and chooses from His servants. I praise Him with the most perfect and comprehensive praise. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the One, the Forgiving. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His chosen servant and messenger. May Allah bless him, grant him peace, and elevate his status.

3Author's Introduction
أما
as for
بعد
after
فإن
indeed
االشتغال
engaging
بالعلم
in knowledge
من
from
أفضل
the best
الطاعات
acts of obedience
وأولى
and most worthy
ما
what
أنفقت
was spent
فيه
in it
نفائس
treasures
األوقات
of times
وقد
and indeed
أكثر
many
أصحابنا
our companions
رحمهم
may God have mercy on them
هللا
God
من
from
التصنيف
authorship
من
from
المبسوطات
expanded works
والمختصرات
and abridgments
وأتقن
and most precise
مختصر
abridgment
المحرر
Al-Muharrar
لإلمام
of Imam
أبي
Abu
القاسم
Al-Qasim
الرافعي
Al-Rafi'i
رحمه
may God have mercy on him
هللا
God
تعالى
Almighty
ذي
possessor of
التحقيقات
investigations
وهو
and it is
كثير
abundant
الفوائد
in benefits
عمدة
a pillar
في
in
تحقيق
verifying
المذهب
the madhhab
معتمد
relied upon
للمفتي
for the mufti
وغيره
and others
من
from
أولى
those possessing
الرغبات
desires
وقد
and indeed
التزم
he committed
مصنفه
its author
رحمه
may God have mercy on him
هللا
God
أن
that
ينص
he explicitly states
على
on
ما
what
صححه
he corrected
معظم
most of
األصحاب
the companions
ووفى
and he fulfilled
بما
what
التزمه
he committed to
وهو
and it is
من
from
أهم
the most important
أو
or
أهم
the most important
المطلوبات
demands
لكن
but
في
in
حجمه
its size
كبر
is large
يعجز
which incapacitates
عن
from
حفظه
memorizing it
أكثر
most of
أهل
the people of
العصر
the era
إال
except
بعض
some of
أهل
the people of
العنايات
care
فرأيت
so I saw
اختصاره
its abridgment
في
in
نحو
about
نصف
half
حجمه
its size
ليسهل
to facilitate
حفظه
its memorization
مع
with
ما
what
أضمه
I add to it
إليه
to it
إن
if
شاء
God wills
هللا
God
تعالى
Almighty
من
from
النفائس
the treasures
المستجدات
newly acquired
منها
among them
التنبيه
the alert
على
on
قيود
restrictions
في
in
بعض
some
المسائل
issues
هي
which are
من
from
األصل
the original
محذوفات
omitted
ومنها
and from them are
مواضع
places
يسيرة
few
ذكرها
he mentioned them
في
in
المحرر
Al-Muharrar
على
contrary to
خالف
difference
المختار
what is chosen
في
in
المذهب
the madhhab
كما
as
ستراها
you will see them
إن
if
شاء
God wills
هللا
God
تعالى
Almighty
واضحات
clear
ومنها
and among them is
إبدال
replacing
ما
what
كان
was
من
from
ألفاظه
its wording
غريبا
strange
أو
or
موهما
suggesting
خالف
the opposite of
الصواب
the correct
بأوضح
with clearer
وأخصر
and more concise
منه
than it
بعبارات
with expressions
جليات
clear
ومنها
and from them is
بيان
clarification of
القولين
the two sayings
والوجهين
and the two aspects
والطريقين
and the two paths
والنص
and the text
ومراتب
and the ranks of

To begin: Pursuing knowledge is a most virtuous act of worship and the best use of one's valuable time. Our esteemed scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, produced countless books, both extensive and concise. Among these, Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Rafi'i's (may Allah have mercy on him) summarized work, Al-Muharrar, stands out. It is renowned for its insightful research, numerous benefits, and its crucial role in verifying the madhhab (school of thought), serving as a trusted reference for muftis and other earnest seekers of knowledge. The author explicitly committed to documenting the rulings authenticated by the majority of scholars, a promise he faithfully kept. This made his work indispensable. However, its considerable length makes it difficult for most contemporary students to memorize, except for those few with exceptional dedication. Therefore, I decided to abridge it to about half its original size to make memorization easier. Additionally, I intend, God willing, to incorporate new and valuable insights. These include: clarifying specific conditions in certain issues that were omitted from the original text; identifying a few instances in Al-Muharrar where the author presented a view contrary to the madhhab's preferred opinion, which I will, God willing, highlight for clarity; replacing any obscure or potentially misleading phrases with clearer and more concise expressions; and elaborating on differing viewpoints (the 'two sayings,' 'two opinions,' 'two paths'), the textual evidence, and their respective levels of strength.

1 / 141