أحكام القرآن للجصاص-أسفار

Ahkam al-Qur'an lil-Jassas

While we might have studied Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh and Usul and could even be teaching Jalalayn, Hidayah, Nur al-Anwar and some of al-Kutub as-Sittah, we are generally deficient in being able to combine these fields and holistically understand how our fiqh is derived.

When teaching books of hadith, the focus is on the ahadith on the topic under discussion, often giving our students the impression than this alone is the basis of the mas’alah. Very little attention is every given to the various ayat on the topic when they really form the basis of the mas’alah. It is even more rare to find the teacher then showing how the ahadith fit in with the ayat based on Usul al-Fiqh.

The result is that even the experienced teacher finds application of Usul elsewhere difficult, as he doesn’t even teach its application in these famous masail.

This is where this masterpiece of Jassas ar-Razi comes in. Jassas was a mujtahid, an Imam in Hadith, Fiqh and Usul, known for his knowledge of the madhahib of the salaf and a real muhaqqiq.

When he discusses an ayah:
- he generally first covers the madhahib of the salaf, listing the various sahabah, tabi’in and mujtahid imams who held each view.
-He then expertly discusses the ayah, using Lughah and Usul to show exactly what should be understood from it.
- He often then brings objections, like “Why can’t it also encompass a certain meaning too”.
- He will then often cover the ahadith on the topic (each with his sanad), showing what they could prove and how they would be understood.

Reading through a discussion in this amazing work, is like watching a master assemble a difficult puzzle. He slowly fits each piece into place, until everything fits perfectly!

The book is easy to understand, with easy-flowing ibarat, making it possible to cover a large portion in a short period of time. Some who realise the value of this masterpiece have included it into the syllabi of their Dar al-Iftas as compulsory reading for their students.

Note: Perfection is only for the Book of Allah subhanah wa ta’ala, thus even this masterpiece has its flaws. A major issue is that the author advocates Mu’zalite positions in certain issues. While the muhaqqiq of this edition does point out issues wherein the author goes clearly against Ahl as-Sunnah, readers would be advised to avoid the aqidah discussions, except for those well-grounded in aqidah and well-versed in our differences with the Mu’tazilah. These discussions are a small portion of the book and shouldn’t stop one from benefitting from this masterpiece.

📘 Beautiful multi-coloured, deluxe edition in 9 thicks volumes, edited using multiple manuscripts. There are just two muhaqqaq editions of this book, both released in the past year or so. This edition and the Markaz at-Tafsir print. Both seem to be good muhaqqaq editions, edited using multiple manuscripts, with the editors pointing out the Mu’tazilite positions.