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قَوَاعِدُ التَّرْجِيحِ · Qawa'id al-Tarjih al-Tis'ah (The Nine Rules of Tarjih)

• تَنْبِيهٌ · Editorial Note
• الْفَتْوَى عَلَى قَوْلِ الْإِمَامِ فِي الْعِبَادَاتِ · Qa'idah 1: Imam Abu Hanifa's View in 'Ibadat
• الْفَتْوَى عَلَى قَوْلِ أَبِي يُوسُفَ فِيمَا يَتَعَلَّقُ بِالْقَضَاءِ · Qa'idah 2: Abu Yusuf's View in Qada Matters
• الْفَتْوَى عَلَى قَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي ذَوِي الْأَرْحَامِ · Qa'idah 3: Muhammad's View in Dhawi al-Arham
• تَرْجِيحُ الِاسْتِحْسَانِ عَلَى الْقِيَاسِ · Qa'idah 4: Istihsan over Qiyas
• تَرْجِيحُ ظَاهِرِ الرِّوَايَةِ عَلَى غَيْرِهَا · Qa'idah 5: Zahir al-Riwaya over Other Narrations
• الْأَقْوَى حُجَّةً رَاجِحٌ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ · Qa'idah 6: The Stronger Proof Prevails
• الرِّوَايَةُ الَّتِي يُحْتَرَزُ بِهَا مِنْ تَكْفِيرِ الْمُسْلِمِ · Qa'idah 7: A Narration Guarding Against Declaring a Muslim a Disbeliever
• الْمَرْجُوعُ عَنْهُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْمَنْسُوخِ · Qa'idah 8: A Retracted View Stands as Abrogated
• الْمُتُونُ مُقَدَّمٌ عَلَى الشُّرُوحِ وَالشُّرُوحُ عَلَى الْفَتَاوَى · Qa'idah 9: Mutun over Shuruh over Fatawa Compendia
• إِذَا لَمْ يُوجَدْ تَرْجِيحٌ · When No Tarjih Is Found (Taqī ʿUthmānī)

تَنْبِيهٌ · Editorial Note

[مُلْحَقٌ] هَذِهِ الْقَوَاعِدُ التِّسْعُ مَنْظُومَةٌ فِي أَبْيَاتٍ (٤١-٥٢) مِنْ عُقُودِ رَسْمِ الْمُفْتِي، وَشَرَحَهَا ابْنُ عَابِدِينَ بِنَفْسِهِ — طَبْعَةُ الرَّشِيدِ (كَرَاتْشِي) بِحَاشِيَةِ الشَّيْخِ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ، مُكَمِّلًا حَاشِيَةَ الْمُفْتِي مُظَفَّرٍ حُسَيْنٍ الْمَظَاهِرِيِّ

• These nine rules are versified in verses 41-52 of Ibn ʿAbidin's own poem, with his own commentary; sourced here from the Karachi (al-Rashid Trust) print, with Shaykh Abu Lubaba's hashiya completing what Mufti Muzaffar Husain al-Mazahiri began

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الْفَتْوَى عَلَى قَوْلِ الْإِمَامِ فِي الْعِبَادَاتِ · Qa'idah 1: Imam Abu Hanifa's View in 'Ibadat

[النَّصُّ] فَلَكَ أَنَّ الْإِمَامَ الْأَعْظَمَ فِي أَدَقِّ نَظَرِهِ، وَأَشَدِّ فِكْرِهِ، وَلِأَمْرٍ مَا جَعَلَ الْعُلَمَاءُ الْفَتْوَى فِي الْعِبَادَاتِ بِقَوْلِهِ

• The Imam was at his closest contemplation and sharpest reflection; and for some reason scholars settled on giving fatwa in ʿibadat by his view

📖 الْمَصْدَرُ شَرْحُ الْمُنْيَةِ لِبُرْهَانِ الدِّينِ الْحَلَبِيِّ، نَقَلَهُ ابْنُ عَابِدِينَ، ص ١٣٨ — Sharh al-Munya by Burhan al-Din al-Halabi, cited by Ibn ʿAbidin, p. 138

[اسْتِثْنَاءٌ] وَهُوَ الْوَاقِعُ بِالِاسْتِقْرَاءِ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَنْهُ رِوَايَةٌ كَقَوْلِ الْمُخَالِفِ، كَمَا فِي طَهَارَةِ الْمَاءِ الْمُسْتَعْمَلِ، وَالتَّيَمُّمِ فَقَطْ عِنْدَ عَدَمِ غَيْرِ نَبِيذِ التَّمْرِ

• This holds by inductive survey, so long as there is no report from the Imam himself agreeing with the opposing view; as with the purity of used water, and tayammum only when nothing besides date-pit nabidh can be found [in place of water]

📖 مَوْضِعٌ (طَبَعَةُ الرَّشِيدِ، كَرَاتْشِي، بِحَاشِيَةِ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ)، ص ١٣٦ — al-Rashid Trust print, Karachi, Abu Lubaba hashiya ed., p. 136

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الْفَتْوَى عَلَى قَوْلِ أَبِي يُوسُفَ فِيمَا يَتَعَلَّقُ بِالْقَضَاءِ · Qa'idah 2: Abu Yusuf's View in Qada Matters

[مَعْنًى] الْفَتْوَى فِي قَوْلِ أَبِي يُوسُفَ فِيمَا يَتَعَلَّقُ بِالْقَضَاءِ بِكَوْنِهِ تَجْرِبَةً — لِحُصُولِ زِيَادَةِ الْعِلْمِ لَهُ بِتَجْرِيبِهِ

• Fatwa is on Abu Yusuf's view in qada-related matters because of his experience; additional knowledge accrued to him through practice

📖 الْمَصْدَرُ الْبَحْرُ الرَّائِقُ، الْفَتَاوَى الْبَزَّازِيَّةُ — وَزَادَ شَرْحُ الْبِيرِيِّ: "وَفِي الشَّهَادَاتِ" أَيْضًا، ص ١٣٨–١٣٩ — al-Bahr al-Ra'iq, al-Fatawa al-Bazzaziyya; Sharh al-Biri added: "and in shahadat" as well, pp. 138-139

[نَظِيرٌ] وَلِهَذَا رَجَعَ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ عَنِ الْقَوْلِ بِأَنَّ الصَّدَقَةَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ حَجِّ التَّطَوُّعِ لَمَّا حَجَّ وَعَرَفَ مَشَقَّتَهُ

• A parallel case (not itself about Abu Yusuf or qada, but illustrating the same underlying principle, that firsthand practical experience can shift a jurist's judgment): this is why Abu Hanifa himself retracted his own earlier view that charity is better than a voluntary hajj, once he performed hajj himself and felt its hardship

📖 مَوْضِعٌ (طَبَعَةُ اسْطَنْبُول ١٣٢٥هـ، شَامِلَة رَقْم ١٦٠٦)، ص ٣٥ — Istanbul print 1325H (Shamela ed. #1606), p. 35

[السِّيَاقُ] وَالْفَتْوَى عَلَى عَادَةِ النَّاسِ — وَالْأَحْكَامُ تَبْتَنِي عَلَى الْعُرْفِ، فَيُعْتَبَرُ فِي كُلِّ إِقْلِيمٍ وَفِي كُلِّ عَصْرٍ عُرْفُ أَهْلِهِ. وَلَا بُدَّ لِلْمُفْتِي وَالْقَاضِي مِنْ مَعْرِفَةِ أَحْوَالِ النَّاسِ — وَمَنْ جَهِلَ بِأَهْلِ زَمَانِهِ فَهُوَ جَاهِلٌ

• Context for this qaʿidah: fatwa is on the people's custom; rulings are built on 'urf, so each region's and each era's custom is given consideration. The mufti and qadi must know the people's circumstances; "whoever is ignorant of the people of his own time is ignorant"

📖 مَوْضِعُ السِّيَاقِ ص ١٧٢ — Context drawn from p. 172

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الْفَتْوَى عَلَى قَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي ذَوِي الْأَرْحَامِ · Qa'idah 3: Muhammad's View in Dhawi al-Arham

[النَّصُّ] وَبِقَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ يُفْتَى — أَيْ فِي جَمِيعِ تَوْرِيثِ ذَوِي الْأَرْحَامِ، وَهُوَ أَشْهَرُ الرِّوَايَتَيْنِ عَنِ الْإِمَامِ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَبِهِ يُفْتَى

• And the fatwa is on Muhammad's view; i.e., in all matters of inheriting through dhawi al-arham; it is the more famous of the two narrations from Imam Abu Hanifa, and it is the basis of fatwa

📖 الْمَصْدَرُ مَتْنُ الْمُلْتَقَى وَسَكْبُ الْأَنْهُرِ، ص ١٣٩ — Matn al-Multaqa and Sakb al-Anhur, p. 139

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تَرْجِيحُ الِاسْتِحْسَانِ عَلَى الْقِيَاسِ · Qa'idah 4: Istihsan over Qiyas

[مَعْنًى] إِذَا كَانَ فِي مَسْأَلَةٍ قِيَاسٌ وَاسْتِحْسَانٌ، يُرَجَّحُ الِاسْتِحْسَانُ عَلَى الْقِيَاسِ — إِلَّا فِي نَحْوِ إِحْدَى عَشَرَةَ مَسْأَلَةً عَلَى مَا فِي "أَجْنَاسِ النَّاطِفِيِّ"

• When an issue contains both qiyas and istihsan, istihsan is given preponderance over qiyas; except in about eleven issues per "Ajnas al-Natifi"

[الْإِيصَالُ] وَأَوْصَلَهَا نَجْمُ الدِّينِ النَّسَفِيُّ إِلَى ٢٢ مَسْأَلَةً

• Najm al-Din al-Nasafi (d. 537H) raised the count to 22 issues

[مَعْنَى الِاسْتِحْسَانِ] الصَّحِيحُ أَنَّ مَعْنَاهُ: الْعَمَلُ بِالرَّاجِحِ بِمَعْنَى تَرْكِ الْعَمَلِ بِالْمَرْجُوحِ

• Its sahih meaning: acting on the rajih, by way of leaving action on the marjuh

📖 مَوْضِعٌ ص ١٤٠ — p. 140

[تَعْرِيفُ فَخْرِ الْإِسْلَامِ] الِاسْتِحْسَانُ: الْعُدُولُ بِالْمَسْأَلَةِ عَنْ حُكْمِ نَظَائِرِهَا إِلَى حُكْمٍ آخَرَ، لِعُدُولٍ يَقْتَضِي هَذَا الْعُدُولَ أَقْوَى

• Fakhr al-Islam al-Bazdawi's definition: istihsan is departing, with a given issue, from the ruling of its analogues to a different ruling, for a reason that makes this departure the stronger course

[أَقْسَامُهُ الثَّلَاثَةُ] الِاسْتِحْسَانُ بِالنَّصِّ: كَجَرَيَانِ السَّلَمِ وَالْإِجَارَةِ وَالْقَرْضِ عَلَى خِلَافِ الْقِيَاسِ لِوُرُودِ النَّصِّ بِهَا. الِاسْتِحْسَانُ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ: كَجَوَازِ الِاسْتِصْنَاعِ مَعَ كَوْنِهِ فِي الْأَصْلِ بَيْعَ مَعْدُومٍ. الِاسْتِحْسَانُ بِالضَّرُورَةِ: كَطَهَارَةِ الْحِيَاضِ الصَّغِيرَةِ وَالْآبَارِ، وَالْعَفْوِ عَنْ رَشَاشِ الْبَوْلِ وَطِينِ الشَّارِعِ وَالْغَبْنِ الْيَسِيرِ فِي الْمُعَامَلَاتِ، دَفْعًا لِلْحَرَجِ عَنِ النَّاسِ

• Its three kinds: istihsan by explicit text, as with salam, ijara, and qard contracts running against strict qiyas because a text permits them; istihsan by ijma', as with the permissibility of istisna' (commissioned manufacture) even though it is, at root, a sale of something not yet existing; and istihsan by necessity, as with the ritual purity of small ponds and wells, and the pardon given for urine splashback, muddy roads, and minor ghabn (unfair pricing/value mismatch) in ordinary transactions, all to remove hardship from people

📖 مَوْضِعٌ (طَبَعَةُ الرَّشِيدِ، كَرَاتْشِي، بِحَاشِيَةِ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ)، ص ١٣٩ — al-Rashid Trust print, Karachi, Abu Lubaba hashiya ed., p. 139

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تَرْجِيحُ ظَاهِرِ الرِّوَايَةِ عَلَى غَيْرِهَا · Qa'idah 5: Zahir al-Riwaya over Other Narrations

[الْأَصْلُ] مَا خَرَجَ عَنْ ظَاهِرِ الرِّوَايَةِ فَهُوَ ضَعِيفٌ — إِلَّا إِذَا صَحَّحَ الْمَشَايِخُ بِخِلَافِهَا

• What is outside zahir al-riwaya is weak; unless the mashayikh have explicitly verified what is contrary to it

📖 مَوْضِعُ الْأَصْلِ فَتَاوَى الْبَحْرِ الرَّائِقِ، ص ١٤٠ — Fatawa al-Bahr al-Ra'iq, p. 140

[التَّأْيِيدُ] قَالَ الطَّرَسُوسِيُّ: "إِنَّ الْقَاضِيَ الْمُقَلِّدَ لَا يَجُوزُ لَهُ أَنْ يَحْكُمَ إِلَّا بِمَا هُوَ ظَاهِرُ الرِّوَايَةِ، لَا بِالرِّوَايَةِ الشَّاذَّةِ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَنُصُّوا عَلَى أَنَّ الْفَتْوَى عَلَيْهَا"

• Al-Tarsusi: "The muqallid qadi may not rule except by what is zahir al-riwaya, not the rare narration, unless they explicitly state that fatwa rests on it"

📖 مَوْضِعُ التَّأْيِيدِ ص ٨٦ — p. 86

[تَتِمَّةٌ] وَالْمَسْأَلَةُ إِذَا لَمْ تُذْكَرْ فِي ظَاهِرِ الرِّوَايَةِ، وَثَبَتَتْ فِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى، تَعَيَّنَ الْمَصِيرُ إِلَيْهَا

• Addendum: if an issue is not mentioned at all in zahir al-riwaya, but is established in another riwaya, then that other riwaya must be followed

📖 مَوْضِعٌ (طَبَعَةُ الرَّشِيدِ، كَرَاتْشِي، بِحَاشِيَةِ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ)، ص ١٤٠ — al-Rashid Trust print, Karachi, Abu Lubaba hashiya ed., p. 140

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الْأَقْوَى حُجَّةً رَاجِحٌ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ · Qa'idah 6: The Stronger Proof Prevails

[مَعْنًى] إِذَا تَعَارَضَ دَلِيلَانِ وَظَهَرَ لِأَحَدِهِمَا رُجْحَانٌ عَلَى الْآخَرِ، وَجَبَ الْعَمَلُ بِهِ وَسَقَطَ الْآخَرُ؛ وَكَذَلِكَ الْقِيَاسُ مَعَ الِاسْتِحْسَانِ

• When two proofs conflict and one shows itself stronger than the other, acting on it becomes obligatory and the weaker one falls away; the same holds between qiyas and istihsan

📖 الْمَصْدَرُ كَشْفُ الْأَسْرَارِ عَلَى أُصُولِ فَخْرِ الْإِسْلَامِ الْبَزْدَوِيِّ ٤/٤، نَقَلَهُ شَرْحُ الْمُنْيَةِ؛ مَوْضِعٌ (طَبَعَةُ الرَّشِيدِ، كَرَاتْشِي، بِحَاشِيَةِ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ)، ص ١٤٠-١٤١ — Kashf al-Asrar 'ala Usul Fakhr al-Islam al-Bazdawi 4/4, via Sharh al-Munya; al-Rashid Trust print, Karachi, Abu Lubaba hashiya ed., pp. 140-141

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الرِّوَايَةُ الَّتِي يُحْتَرَزُ بِهَا مِنْ تَكْفِيرِ الْمُسْلِمِ · Qa'idah 7: A Narration Guarding Against Declaring a Muslim a Disbeliever

[النَّصُّ] الْكُفْرُ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ، فَلَا أَجْعَلُ الْمُؤْمِنَ كَافِرًا مَتَى وَجَدْتُ رِوَايَةً أَنَّهُ لَا يَكْفُرُ، وَلَوْ كَانَتْ ضَعِيفَةً

• Disbelief is a grave matter, so I will not declare a believer a disbeliever whenever I find a narration that he is not a disbeliever, even if that narration is weak

📖 الْمَصْدَرُ الْفَتَاوَى الصُّغْرَى، نَقَلَهُ الْبَحْرُ فِي بَابِ الْمُرْتَدِّ؛ مَوْضِعٌ (طَبَعَةُ الرَّشِيدِ، كَرَاتْشِي، بِحَاشِيَةِ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ)، ص ١٤١ — al-Fatawa al-Sughra, via al-Bahr, chapter on the apostate; al-Rashid Trust print, Karachi, Abu Lubaba hashiya ed., p. 141

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الْمَرْجُوعُ عَنْهُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْمَنْسُوخِ · Qa'idah 8: A Retracted View Stands as Abrogated

[النَّصُّ] الْمَرْجُوعُ عَنْهُ لَمْ يَبْقَ مَذْهَبًا لِلْمُجْتَهِدِ، وَحِينَئِذٍ يَجِبُ طَلَبُ الْقَوْلِ الَّذِي رَجَعَ إِلَيْهِ وَالْعَمَلُ بِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْأَوَّلَ صَارَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْحُكْمِ الْمَنْسُوخِ

• What a mujtahid retracted from no longer remains his position; at that point one must seek out the view he retracted TO and act on it, because the first view has become like an abrogated ruling

📖 الْمَصْدَرُ الْبَحْرُ، بَابُ التَّوْشِيحِ؛ مَوْضِعٌ (طَبَعَةُ الرَّشِيدِ، كَرَاتْشِي، بِحَاشِيَةِ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ)، ص ١٤٢ — al-Bahr, bab al-tawshih; al-Rashid Trust print, Karachi, Abu Lubaba hashiya ed., p. 142

[تَفْصِيلٌ] إِنْ عُلِمَ الْمُتَأَخِّرُ فَهُوَ مَذْهَبُهُ وَيَكُونُ الْأَوَّلُ مَنْسُوخًا، وَإِلَّا فَلَا يُحْكَمُ عَلَى أَحَدِهِمَا بِالرُّجُوعِ عَنِ الْآخَرِ

• If which view came later is known, that is his madhhab and the earlier one is treated as abrogated; if not known, neither is ruled to have been retracted from in favor of the other

📖 الْمَصْدَرُ شَرْحُ التَّحْرِيرِ؛ مَوْضِعٌ ص ١٤٢ — Sharh al-Tahrir; p. 142

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الْمُتُونُ مُقَدَّمٌ عَلَى الشُّرُوحِ وَالشُّرُوحُ عَلَى الْفَتَاوَى · Qa'idah 9: Mutun over Shuruh over Fatawa Compendia

[مَعْنًى] أَصْحَابُ الْمُتُونِ الْتَزَمُوا وَضْعَ الْقَوْلِ الصَّحِيحِ فِيهَا، فَمَا فِي غَيْرِهَا مِمَّا يُخَالِفُهَا لَا يُقَدَّمُ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا أَنْ يُصَرَّحَ بِتَصْحِيحِهِ تَصْرِيحًا صَرِيحًا، فَيُقَدَّمُ عَلَيْهَا؛ لِأَنَّ التَّصْحِيحَ الصَّرِيحَ يُقَدَّمُ عَلَى التَّصْحِيحِ الِالْتِزَامِيِّ

• The authors of the mutun (base texts) committed to placing only the sahih view in them, so anything elsewhere that contradicts them does not take precedence over them, unless it is EXPLICITLY declared sahih there, in which case it does take precedence, since an explicit correction outweighs a merely implied one

📖 الْمَصْدَرُ الْعَلَّامَةُ قَاسِمٌ فِي تَصْحِيحِهِ — al-'Allama Qasim, in his Tashih

📖 مَوْضِعُ الْقَوَاعِدِ التِّسْعِ جَمِيعًا (طَبَعَةُ الرَّشِيدِ، كَرَاتْشِي، بِحَاشِيَةِ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ)، ص ١٣٦-١٤٢؛ الْأَبْيَاتُ ٤١-٥٢ مِنَ الْمَنْظُومَةِ — al-Rashid Trust print, Karachi, Abu Lubaba hashiya ed., pp. 136-142; verses 41-52 of the poem, for all nine qawa'id together

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إِذَا لَمْ يُوجَدْ تَرْجِيحٌ · When No Tarjih Is Found (Taqī ʿUthmānī)

[مَعْنًى] When no scholar of tarjīḥ has graded the competing views, the muftī falls back to ẓāhir al-riwāya (ظاهر الرواية, the strongest layer of the madhhab). Where two ẓāhir al-riwāya reports still differ, the later report is taken.

📘 التقي العثماني، أصول الإفتاء وآدابه، ص ٢٢٨

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