Author’s Preface

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, the Kind and Generous, whose blessings surpass all reckoning, who bestows subtle grace and guidance, who leads to the path of rectitude, and who grants success in understanding the religion to those of His servants whom He chooses. I praise Him with the fullest, most perfect, purest, and most comprehensive praise. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, the One, the All-Forgiving, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, the elect and chosen one—may Allah bless him and grant him ever-increasing honor and distinction.

To proceed: Devoting oneself to sacred knowledge is among the noblest acts of worship and the worthiest pursuit of one’s precious time. Our scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—have authored numerous works, both extensive and concise. Foremost among these is the abridgment of al-Muḥarrar by Imām Abū al-Qāsim al-Rāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy on him, a scholar of meticulous investigation. Rich in benefits, it is a principal reference for establishing the school’s rulings and is relied upon by muftis and all who earnestly seek its guidance. Its author—may Allah have mercy on him—committed himself to citing the positions judged sound by the majority of our authorities, and he fulfilled that commitment. Thus, it stands among the most important—if not the single most important—of the sought-after texts.

Yet its considerable size makes memorization difficult for most people of our time, save a few especially diligent students. I have therefore resolved to abridge it to roughly half its length, making it easier to memorize, while adding—Allah willing—a number of fresh and valuable points. These include: drawing attention to certain qualifications in some issues that were omitted in the original; pointing out a few instances where al-Muḥarrar cites views contrary to the preferred position of the school, which you will, God willing, find clearly indicated; replacing any unfamiliar or potentially misleading wording with clearer and more concise expressions; and clarifying the two authoritative opinions (al-qawlayn), the two positions (al-wajhayn), the two methodological lines (al-ṭarīqayn), the explicit textual statement (al-naṣṣ), and their respective ranks.