Al-Fiqh al-Akbar - [The Greater Knowledge]. 
''Imam Abu Hanifa's Al-Fiqh al-Akbar Explained,''
[A5+] Hardback with Dustjacket - 240 pages,
by Abu ’l-Muntaha al-Maghnisawi with
Selections from Mullah 'Ali al-Qari’s Commentary,
including Abu Hanifa’s Kitab al-Wasiyya.

 

Description :


Al-Fiqh al-Akbar is one of the earliest texts written on Islamic ­creed and one of the surviving works of Abu Hanifa, the Great Imam of jurisprudence and theology. Studied for centuries in the Muslim world, Al-Fiqh al-Akbar offers a more nuanced, textured approach to understanding divine oneness (tawhid), the focal point of Islamic belief. It refines one’s understanding of the Creator, the messengers and divine communication, and enables one to gain much-needed insight into the realities of this life and the events of the hereafter.


Al-Fiqh al-Akbar not only improves one’s understanding of 'aqida and deepens one’s appreciation of his or her beliefs, but it endeavors to address questions, which, if left unanswered, could leave insidious doubt and cause communal division. Such questions include: Where is Allah? Does Allah evolve? What constitutes true Islamic belief? Are Prophets capable of sinning? Is there creation beyond what we see? What comes after death?


This translation of Al-Fiqh al-Akbar is an unprecedented contribution to the subject of 'aqida in English. A lucid rendering, unhampered by sterile literalism, it draws on a number of commentaries to unlock a subject that has been largely inaccessible to an English readership. This is due both to the subject’s complexity and the lack of reliable works in English. Combining Maghnisawi’s basic commentary with copious notes carefully selected from 'Ali al-Qari’s super-commentary and the entire Kitab al-Wasiyya of Abu Hanifa, this edition promises to be an essential guide on the intellectual and rewarding journey through Islamic creed.




Reviews:

     “A substantial addition to the dismayingly small number of English translations of works of Islamic theology. It is well suited to provide a solid introduction to later Islamic theology, both Maturidi and Ash'ari, as it has been studied in traditional Sunni circles for centuries.” _{— Aron Zysow, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA}.

     “This represents one of the most comprehensive works written in the English language representing the traditional, true, and authentic teachings of the early predecessors (salaf) in matters of doctrine and tawhid (Islamic monotheism).”_{— Shaykh Abdullah Ali, Lamppost Productions, USA}.

     "A work suitable for both the general reader interested in Islamic doctrine and theology and as a critical and important addition to university libraries and classrooms.”_{— Ralph H. Salmi, Ph.D. Center for Islamic and Middle East Studies, California State University, San Bernardino}.

Imam Abu ’l-Muntaha al-Maghnisawi: He is Ahmad ibn Muhammad, Abu ’l-Muntaha Shihab al-Din. He was born in Magnisia (Maghnisa), a town in present-day western Turkey.


‘Allama Maghnisawi was an accomplished jurist of the Hanafi school and a master in the science of Qur’an Recitation (muqri’). Aside from his commentary on Al-Fiqh al-Akbar, he authored many books, including Izhar al-Ma’ani fi Sharh Hazr al-Amani (The Explanation of the Meanings: An Exposition of the Assessment of Aspirations), a commentary of Shatabi’s Qasida in qira’a (Qur’anic recitation) in Turkish, and the Qasida Nuniyya on Islamic theology (Osmanli Müellifleri 228). With the exception of his commentary on Shatabi’s Qasida, all his other works were in Arabic.






Table of Contents :

---Transliteration Key,

---Translator's Introduction,
------Islamic Beliefs,
--------Brief Sketch of the Origins of Islamic Theology,
--------The Asharis,
--------The Maturidis,
--------The Mu'tazila
--------The Qadariyya,
--------The Khawarij,
--------The Jabriyya,
--------The Jahmiyya,
--------The Karramiyya,
--------The Murji'a,
------Al-Fiqh al-Akbar,
------Manuscript Samples.

---Biographies,
------Abu Hanifa Nu'man ibn Thabit,
------Abu l-Muntaha al-Maghnisawi,
------Mulla 'Ali al-Qari,
------Other Commentaries on Al-Fiqh al-Akbar.


Imam Abu Hanifa's Al-Fiqh al-Akbar Explained,

---Prologue: The Scholars' Approach to 'Ilm al-Kalam,
---Imam al-Maghnisawi's Introduction,

---[1]. The Fundamentals of Divine Oneness and the True Faith,
---[2]. Allah and His Essentials and Active Attributes,
---[3]. The Qur'an : The Speech of Allah Most High,
---[4]. Allah is Unlike Anything, and His Hand, Countenance, and Self,
---[5]. The Attributes of Creating, Knowledge, Predestination,
------and His Writing in the Preserved Tablet,
---[6]. Allah Created People Pure and the Covenant of the Beginning,
---[7]. The Creator and the Actions of His Creation,
---[8]. The Prophets, Muhammad, may Allah bless him & grant him peace, and the Companions,
---[9]. The Effects of Sin, Wiping Leather Socks, Tarawih, etc,
---[10]. Mu'jizat, Karamat, and Istidraj,
---[11]. The Beatific Vision of Allah,
---[12]. Iman, Islam and Din,
---[13]. Knowing Allah Most High,
---[14]. Allah the Generous and Just,
---[15]. Intercession and Other Eschatological Realities,
---[16]. Allah Guides and Leaves Astray,
---[17]. Eschatological Realities of the Grave,
---[18]. Expressing the Attributes of Allah in Other Than Arabic,
---[19]. The Closeness and Distance of a Person to Allah Most High,,
---[20]. More Concerning theQur'an,
---[21]. Abu Talib, The Parents of Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him & grant him peace,
------and His Children, may Allah be pleased with them all,
---[22]. When Doubt Arises About Any of the Subtleties of Tawhid,
---[23]. Concerning the Ascension and Some Signs of the Last Day.


---Bibliography,
---Index.





More Hanafi Fiqh books.

*This is currently the only English translation available of this classical text and has been approved/and is in use by the Ahl al-Sunna w'al-Jama'ah. We do not endorse other publications by this translator/publisher.