| Jam' al-Jawami' | |
| Author: | Taj al-Din al-Subki |
| Editor: | 'Aqila Husayn |
| Title Orig: | جمع الجوامع في أصول الفقه |
| Orig Lang Code: | ar |
| Country: | Egypt during the Mamluk rule |
| Language: | Arabic |
| Subject: | Usul al-Fiqh |
| Publisher: | , Beirut |
| Pub Date: | 2011 |
| Pages: | 573 |
| Isbn: | 9782745132239 |
| Preceded By: | Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyya al-Kubra |
| Followed By: | Mu'id al-Ni'am wa Mubid al-Niqam (The Restorer of Favours and the Restrainer of Chastisements) |
Jam' al-Jawami' fi Usul al-Fiqh is a major classical 14th-century treatise and compendium written by Taj al-Din al-Subki, the leading legal theoretician of his time. It is a highly revered work on the subject of Usul al-Fiqh and it continues to be the primary text on Shafi'i principal to this day, and many schools and madrasses (Islamic centres) around the world utilise it as a study book, including the esteemed Islamic university of al-Azhar.[1]
It is considered as one of the most greatest and comprehensive books in the principles of law among the Sunnis. It covers every single issue in details leaving no room without an explanation that are not properly covered by other legal theorists in their works. Jam 'al-Jawami', regarded as the most popular and widely read book does not only stop at Usul al-Fiqh but also combines Usul Ad-Din (principles of religion) and Adab. It is said that he congregated the methodology of the juristconsults and theologians from both the schools of Shafi'i and Hanafi, respectively.[2] [3]
Due to its scholarly recognition, Jam' al-Jawami', a significant classical work, was chosen as the most important choice for study. It uses the methodology of qualitative research. It also gains from previous research on the subject. The writer is from the illustrious Shafi'i-Ashʿari family, who flourished in the Mamluk dynasty in the eighth century A.H. He has produced numerous important books on a range of topics. One of his usuli works, Jam' al-Jawami', collects material from approximately a hundred sources and analyses all significant usuli themes in a rhetorically terse manner. It often adheres to the then-dominant structure while including problems of pure theology and morality, giving it a distinct character. Besides the sources of law and its applications, it also covers Usul al-Din related problems from kalam and fiqh. Through historical lessons, the author employs a unique methodology throughout the work. The current study lists seven such approaches and provides textual samples to support each one. In addition, it categorises and defines the terms the writer uses. The study notes that the greater number of works on the text—which mention over a hundred such works categorised under various headings—was probably caused by the book's broader reception among academics.
Ibn al-Subki was more than just a legal theorist. He was highly proficient in many Islamic fields including Hadith science. In addition to being a legal thinker, he also served as a narrator, spokesperson, and critic. His interpretation of the hadiths and the methods by which he verified hadiths supporting or refuting the narrators in the line of transmission demonstrate this. Ibn al-Subki adhered to this methodology in all of his publications, even those on jurisprudential principles. Ibn al-Subki was a more eminent commentator than others who disregarded the authenticity and extraction of Hadith in their main writings. In contrast to the typical approach of legal theorists, Ibn al-Subki did not transcribe any Hadith without first verifying and offering commentary. As an accomplished jurist and linguist, he would extract the jurisprudential and linguistic benefits from the Hadiths.[4]
Scholars have received an unprecedented interest in the book of Jam' al-Jawami'. They have studied it, taught it, and given it various explanations. Some of them explained it in a long way, some of them explained it briefly, some of them put footnotes and comments on it, and some of them summarized it in verse or prose, and provided explanations for that summary.
The following commentaries have been written on the Jam` al-Jawami`:
Abridgment of this: al-Ghaith al-Hani, by Wali al-Din al-`Iraqi (d. 826).
Taj al-Din himself wrote two books on the Jam` al-Jawami`:
The Jam` al-Jawami` has been put into verse by following authors:
A commentary on this versification by the author’s son Badr al-Din al-Ghazzi (d. 984).
A commentary by the author on his versification called Sharh al-Kawkab al-Sati`.