Disagreements of the Jurists. al-Qadi al-Nu'man

لله ربّ العالمين.‬

      ١ ز تزيد هنا: وعنهم. ٢ ساقطة في ز. ٣ ل: ولده. ٤ ز: إجازة، م: فأجاز.

      The Chief Justice ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Nuʿmān¹ said: I transmit this book, The Islamic Legal Schools’ Conflicting Principles of Interpretation, and Refutation of Those Who Contradict the True Doctrine Therein, from my father, the Judge Muḥammad ibn al-Nuʿmān,² may God be pleased with him and grant him contentment. My father transmitted this book from his father, the Judge al-Nuʿmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥayyūn of the Tamīm tribe, may God be pleased with him and grant him contentment, and make his final destination and resting place one of honor, the author of this book. This, after he had presented this book to our Master and Ruler, the Imam al-Muʿizz li-Dīn Allāh,³ the Commander of the Faithful, God’s blessings upon him, upon his pure forefathers, and upon the Imams among his noble progeny, and after the Imam had permitted him to transmit it. My grandfather’s composition of the book and transmission of it to his son, and the son’s transmission of it to his son after him, took place after each transmitter among them had presented the work to the Imam of his time and obtained permission from him to transmit it on the Imam’s authority, and after his Highness al-ʿAzīz bi-llāh,⁴ the Commander of the Faithful, God’s blessings upon him, had granted a second permission to my father, his Chief Justice Muḥammad ibn al-Nuʿmān, God be pleased with him. I presented the book to our Highness, the Imam al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh,⁵ the Imam of the present age, and he granted me permission to transmit it on his authority and to dictate it without restriction to the Imam’s servants, inscribing on the back of the volume a venerable affidavit in his exalted hand: “We have permitted the audition and dictation of this book to Our Judge, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Nuʿmān, praise be to God, Lord of all the generations!”

      Prologue

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      الحمد لله الذى أنزل الكتاب على عبده محمّد النبيّ^١ البشير النذير وجعله كما قال عزّ وجلّ {شِفَآءٌ لِّمَا فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ} و{تِبْيَٰنًا لِّكُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ} وصلّى الله على محمّد خاتم النبيّين وسيّد المرسلين وعلى الأئمّة من ذرّيّته الأبرار الطاهرين.

      ١ ز، ل: ن، ولعلّه اختصار للنبيّ.

      Praise be to God, Who revealed the Book to his servant, Muḥammad, the bearer of glad tidings and warner, and rendered it as He describes it in His Scripture: «a cure for what is in the breasts of mankind, guidance, and mercy for the faithful,»⁶ and «an explanation of all things, guidance, mercy, and glad tidings for the Muslims.»⁷ God bless Muḥammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Foremost of the Messengers, and the Imams among his pure and virtuous progeny.

      ٤

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      أمّا بعد، فإنّي رأيت أهل القبلة بعد اتّفاقهم على ظاهر نصّ القرآن وتصديق الرسول قد اختلفوا في الفتيا في كثير من الفروع وفي بعض الأصول وفي وجوه كثيرة من التأويل، وذهبوا في ذلك مذاهب وتفرّقوا فرقًا وتحزّبوا أحزابًا بعد أن سمعوا قول الله تعالى وتلوه {أَنْ أَقِيمُوا ٱلدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ} وقوله^١ {وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا ٱلْكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَةُ} وقوله {وَمَا ٱخْتَلَفَ فِيهِ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوهُ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتُ} وقوله {إِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ عِندَ ٱللهِ ٱلْإِسْلَٰمُ ۗ وَمَا ٱخْتَلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا ٱلْكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعِلْمُ بَغْيًۢا بَيْنَهُمْ} وقوله^٢ {أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَآ} وقوله {أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ ٱللهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ ٱخْتِلَٰفًا كَثِيرًا} فذمّ جلّ ثناؤه التفرّق^٣ والاختلاف ودعا إلى الاجتماع والائتلاف وأمر بذلك وحضّ عليه ورغّب في إقامة الدين ، ونهى عن التفرّق^٤ فيه.

      ١ ساقطة في ل. ٢ ساقطة في ز. ٣ ز، ل: التفريق. ٤ ل: التفريق.

      Now, to the heart of the matter: I noticed that all those who pray toward Mecca,⁸ after agreeing on the explicit text of the Qurʾan and accepting the Messenger as truthful, differ in their legal rulings on many individual points of the law, some fundamental principles, and many matters of interpretation. Concerning these issues they have adopted sundry views, dispersed into diverse groups, and formed various disputing parties, and this despite being aware of God’s word: «that you remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein»;⁹ «Nor did those to whom the Scripture was given make schisms until after there came to them clear evidence»;¹⁰ «Those to whom the Scripture was given differed concerning it only after clear proofs had come unto them»;¹¹ «Religion before God is Islam. Nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except after knowledge had come to them, through malevolence toward each other»;¹² «Do they then earnestly consider the Qurʾan, or are their hearts locked up?»;¹³ and «Do they not earnestly consider the Qurʾan? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found therein much incongruity.»¹⁴ For in these verses, God censured division and disagreement and encouraged unity and solidarity, commanding and promoting the latter. He made it desirable to uphold the faith and prohibited the formation of schisms therein.

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      وقد رأيت وبالله أستعين وعليه أتوكّل، وعلى تأييد وليّه وإرشاده ومراده^١