العزيز في شرح الوجيز:الشرح الكبير-جائزة دبي

al-'Aziz fi Sharh al-Wajiz: al-Sharh al-Kabir

The high-quality, muhaqqaq print of Rafi'i's masterpiece, which was the basis of Imam Nawawi's Rawdah

Imam Nawawi, in his Rawdah, describes this masterpiece saying:

وَكَانَتْ مُصَنَّفَاتُ أَصْحَابِنَا - رَحِمَهُمُ اللَّهُ - فِي نِهَايَةٍ مِنَ الْكَثْرَةِ فَصَارَتْ مُنْتَشِرَاتٍ، مَعَ مَا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الِاخْتِلَافِ فِي الِاخْتِيَارَاتِ، فَصَارَ لَا يُحَقِّقُ الْمَذْهَبَ مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا أَفْرَادٌ مِنَ الْمُوَفَّقِينَ الْغَوَّاصِينَ الْمُطَّلِعِينَ أَصْحَابِ الْهِمَمِ الْعَالِيَاتِ، فَوَفَّقَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ - مِنْ مُتَأَخِّرِي أَصْحَابِنَا مَنْ جَمَعَ هَذِهِ الطُّرُقَ الْمُخْتَلِفَاتِ، وَنَقَّحَ الْمَذْهَبَ أَحْسَنَ تَنْقِيحٍ، وَجَمَعَ مُنْتَشِرَهُ بِعِبَارَاتٍ وَجِيزَاتٍ، وَحَوَى جَمِيعَ مَا وَقَعَ لَهُ مِنَ الْكُتُبِ الْمَشْهُورَاتِ، وَهُوَ الْإِمَامُ الْجَلِيلُ الْمُبَرَّزُ الْمُتَضَلِّعُ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْمَذْهَبِ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الرَّافِعِيُّ ذُو التَّحْقِيقَاتِ، فَأَتَى فِي كِتَابِهِ (شَرْحِ الْوَجِيزِ) بِمَا لَا كَبِيرَ مَزِيدٍ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الِاسْتِيعَابِ مَعَ الْإِيجَازِ وَالْإِتْقَانِ وَإِيضَاحِ الْعِبَارَاتِ، فَشَكَرَ اللَّهُ الْكَرِيمُ لَهُ سَعْيَهُ، وَأَعْظَمَ لَهُ الْمَثُوبَاتِ، وَجَمَعَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُ مَعَ أَحْبَابِنَا فِي دَارِ كَرَامَتِهِ مَعَ أُولِي الدَّرَجَاتِ.
وَقَدْ عَظُمَ انْتِفَاعُ أَهْلِ عَصْرِنَا بِكِتَابِهِ لِمَا جَمَعَهُ مِنْ جَمِيلِ الصِّفَاتِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ كَبِيرُ الْحَجْمِ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى تَحْصِيلِهِ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ فِي مُعْظَمِ الْأَوْقَاتِ.

And the writings of our scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—had become exceedingly numerous and widely dispersed. Along with this, they contained differing preferred opinions, so that, as a result, only a select few of the divinely aided, deeply learned, perceptive, and highly dedicated scholars were able to ascertain the authoritative position of the school.

Then Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He—to whom belongs all praise—granted success to one of our later scholars, who gathered together these various approaches, refined the madhhab in the finest manner, and collected its scattered discussions into concise expressions. He also incorporated everything that had come into his possession from the well-known books. This was the eminent Imam, the distinguished and profoundly learned master of the school, Abū al-Qāsim al-Rāfiʿī, renowned for his meticulous scholarship.

In his book, Sharḥ al-Wajīz, he produced a work to which little further could be added in terms of comprehensiveness, while maintaining brevity, precision, and clarity of expression. May Allah, the Most Generous, reward him for his efforts, greatly multiply his recompense, and gather us with him and our loved ones in the Abode of His Honour among those of the highest ranks.

The scholars of our age have benefited immensely from his book because of the many excellent qualities it possesses. However, it is a large work, and in most circumstances the majority of people are unable to obtain or study it in its entirety.