by Abu 'l-Muntaha al-Maghnisawi, with selections from 'Ali al-Qari's Commentary, including Abu Hanifa's kitab al-Wasiyya
Compiled and Translated with an Introduction by Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf
Al-Fiqh al-Akbar is one of the earliest texts written on central Islamic theology, 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 layered understanding of divine oneness (tawhid), the underpinning of Islamic belief. It helps to refine one's understanding of the Creator, messengers, and divine communication, and enables one, moreover, to gain insight into the realities of this life and the events of the life hereafter. Al-Fiqh al-Akbar adds nuance to one's understanding of 'aqida and deepens one's appreciation of his or her beliefs, and addresses head-on questions that, if unanswered, could leave invidious doubt and cause communal division: "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 a subject in English. A lucid rendering, unhampered by sterile literalism, it draws on a number of commentaries to unlock for the general English-speaking readership a subject that has been largely inaccessible to them, both because of the subject's complexity and the lack of reliable works in English. This definitive edition, combining Maghnisawi's basic commentary with numerous notes carefully selected from 'AlI al-Qari's super-commentary and the entire Kitab al-Wasiyya of Abu Hanifa, is the English reader's essential guide on the intellectual and rewarding journey through Islamic creed.