Fatwa ID: 04832
Answered by: Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Question
Al-Kafi, is it a summary of the Zahirur Riwayah books, or just Al-Mabsut? I think the taḥqiq is that it’s only the latter right?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
قَوْلُهُ: فِي الرِّواياتِ الظّاهِرَةِ) اعْلَمْ أنَّ مَسائِلَ أصْحابِنا الحَنَفِيَّةِ عَلى ثَلاثِ طَبَقاتٍ أشَرْت إلَيْها سابِقًا مُلَخَّصَةً ونَظَّمْتها
الأُولى مَسائِلُ الأُصُولِ، وتُسَمّى ظاهِرُ الرِّوايَةِ أيْضًا، وهِيَ مَسائِلُ مَرْوِيَّةٌ عَنْ أصْحابِ المَذْهَبِ، وهُمْ أبُو حَنِيفَةَ وأبُو يُوسُفَ ومُحَمَّدٌ، ويَلْحَقُ بِهِمْ زُفَرُ والحَسَنُ بْنُ زِيادٍ وغَيْرُهُما مِمَّنْ أخَذَ عَنْ الإمامِ، لَكِنَّ الغالِبَ الشّائِعَ فِي ظاهِرِ الرِّوايَةِ أنْ يَكُونَ قَوْلُ الثَّلاثَةِ وكُتُبُ ظاهِرِ الرِّوايَةِ، كُتُبُ مُحَمَّدٍ السِّتَّةُ المَبْسُوطُ والزِّياداتُ والجامِعُ الصَّغِيرُ والسِّيَرُ الصَّغِيرُ والجامِعُ الكَبِيرُ، وإنَّما سُمِّيَتْ بِظاهِرِ الرِّوايَةِ؛ لِأنَّها رُوِيَتْ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ بِرِواياتِ الثِّقاتِ، فَهِيَ ثابِتَةٌ عَنْهُ إمّا مُتَواتِرَةً أوْ مَشْهُورَةً عَنْهُ.
The masails of the Hanafis are of three categories.
One of them is called ظاهِرُ الرِّوايَةِ. (apparent narrations) and they are those opinions (masail) which are narrated and recorded from the Hanafi jurists such as; Imam Abu Hanifa 2 رحمه الله Imam Abu Yusuf 3 رحمه الله and Imam Ibn Hasan Ash-Shaybani 4 رحمه الله
Also, those who attained knowledge from Imam Abu Hanifa رحمه الله such as Imam Zufar 5 رحمه الله and Imam Al-Hasan Ibn Ziyad 6 رحمه الله and others. However, the most widespread and the most dominant view is that ظاهِرُ الرِّوايَةِ. (apparent narrations) refers to the 6 books of Imam Muhammad Ibn Hasan Ash-Shaybani رحمه الله.
They are also known as;
1) Kitabul Asl which is also known as “Mabsoot”
(2) Az-Ziyadat,
(3) Al Jami’us Sagheer,
(4) As-Siyarus-Sagheer,
(5) Al-Jami’ul Kabeer, and
(6) As-Siyarul Kabeer.
And it is called ظاهِرُ الرِّوايَةِ. (apparent narrations) because these books are narrated from Imam Muhammad through the authentic and reliable transmission. Hence, these narrations are established from him via successive and famous transmission. 7
It should be noted that all the Hanafi Fiqh masail were preserved through memory similar to how the Quran and Ahadith were preserved.
Imam Abul Fadhl Muhammad Ibn Muhammad, famously known as Imam Hakim Ash-Shahid (d. 334 AH) has compiled a book called “Al-Kafi”.
The word Al-Kafi ٱلْكَافِي in Arabic literally means “The Sufficient”.
واعْلَمْ أنَّ مِن كُتُبِ مَسائِلِ الأُصُولِ كِتابُ الكافِي لِلْحاكِمِ الشَّهِيدِ، وهُوَ كِتابٌ مُعْتَمَدٌ فِي نَقْلِ المَذْهَبِ، شَرَحَهُ جَماعَةٌ مِن المَشايِخِ، مِنهُمْ الإمامُ شَمْسُ الأئِمَّةِ السَّرَخْسِيُّ وهُوَ المَشْهُورُ بِمَبْسُوطِ السَّرَخْسِيِّ. :
Amongst the books on the masail of the Hanafi Fiqh is “Al-Kafi” by Hakim Ash-Shahid. It is a reliable book in transmitting the Hanafi madhab. Many scholars have written commentaries on such as; Shamsul Aimmah As-Sarakhsee which is famously known as “Mabsoot”
قالَ العَلّامَةُ الطَّرَسُوسِيُّ مَبْسُوطُ السَّرَخْسِيِّ لا يُعْمَلُ بِما يُخالِفُهُ، ولا يُرْكَنُ إلّا إلَيْهِ، ولا يُفْتى ولا يُعَوَّلُ إلّا عَلَيْهِ، ومِن كُتُبِ المَذْهَبِ أيْضًا المُنْتَقى لَهُ أيْضًا إلّا أنَّ فِيهِ بَعْضَ النَّوادِرِ
Allamah Tartoosee رحمه الله said; “What is contrary to Mabsoot of Imam Sarakhsee is not acted upon, and it is dependent upon, and fatwa is not issued or relied upon on except on it.” 8
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
1 Raddul Muhtar, 69/1, Darul Fikr Beirut, Lebanon, 1412 H
2 Abu Hanifa An-Nu’man Bin Thabit, Al-Kufi, 150 H
3 Abu Yusuf Yaqub Bin Ibrahim Bin Habib Bin Sa’ad Bin Habbah Al-Ansari, 182 H.
4 Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin Hasan Bin Farqad, 189 H
5 Zufar Bin Huzail Bin Qais, Al-Ghabree, Al-Kufi, 158 H
6 Al-Hasan bin Ziyad Al-Lului Al-Kufi, 204 H
7 Raddul Muhtar, 69/1, Darul Fikr Beirut, Lebanon, 1412 H
8 Rasmul Mufti, Page 27, Maktabatul Bushra, Karachi, Pakistan
